


Sense and Sensuality

by Kyoki_tana (orphan_account)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Ganon doesn't exist, Angst, BAMF Link, BAMF Zelda, Confused Sidon, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Link Has a Potty Mouth, Link is serious, M/M, Mipha is a good sister, Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Suffering, Wolf Link and Epona are best friends, Zelda is a good Queen, he tries but is actually a big softie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-10-30 17:27:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Kyoki_tana
Summary: To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves. - Frederico LorcaA chance encounter finds Sidon hopelessly smitten with the personal knight of Queen Zelda. After their meeting, Sidon can not think about something else than seeing him again. He could not know the far-reaching repercussions of a forbidden love.





	1. Erstes Kapitel

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm from Germany and this is my first English multi-chapter fanfiction I'm writing. I apologise for any kinds of mistake, but I'm not a native speaker. Feel free to point out every mistake I made. :)

Hyrule Town was completely different to Zora's Domain. Crowded, loud and the air smelt of oil and leather. A multitude of voices, each so different that Sidon could not even describe the sound they made, flowing through the air and providing the city with more vividness than his home could ever have provided.  
  
The castle, located at the end of the huge town, reminded the Zora prince of a loving mother watching over her beloved children. The palace's masonry reflected the sunlight in a dim manner and somehow it bestowed a majestic feeling.

“Sidon, watch out, dear brother.”

His sister's voice tore his attention away from the scenery before him and focused his eyes on Mipha. She was walking beside him, graceful and slow like a summer breeze. Her scarlet scales shimmered in the midday sun and Sidon noted how different they look to his.

Her's were made to attract males, his ones were made to impress females.

 

“Pardon me, but what did you mean?”, he asked her politely while he was watching people rush by. Sidon was not accustomed to seeing so many Hylians, Rito and Gerudos in the same area. Zora's were a reclusive race, proud and maybe a little too isolated. It hardly ever happened that a Zora was spotted outside of the Domain.

  
As he turned his head around to get a glance of Mipha as he heard her chuckling. The corners of his mouth twitched as he studied her face. It was soft, equalled only to the water lily's beauty in Zora's Domain.

Sometimes, Sidon wished to be as pretty as her.

“Nothing, Sidon”, his sister smiled and fixed her view back to the street in front of them.

People were passing by, not even bothering to taking a second look at them. They travelled incognito to draw as little attention to themselves, being they both were children of the royal family, and they hated to be involved in big fusses. Especially if they were somewhere they never visited before.

 

Mipha and Sidon had been coddled growing up. Away from the attention, the royal family got, away from any meetings with outsiders, or events. They had tried live as normal of a life as they could: They had always returned home with countless bruises, bleeding wounds or other injuries from their adventures outside the Domain; Sometimes it worried Muzu.

Their childhood ended much too fast, now, they were over hundred years old and it was time to face life outside of their bubble, which was violently destroyed when their father got old and infirm.  
  
Sidon had been excited to become Mipha's right-hand man and due to his new, important role, he was charged to guard his sister's first steps into the outside world. She was not too much older than him, but her soul was as pure as it had been the day Mipha was born. There were so many things which could taint that unadulterated spirit inside her small chest.

 

Today, was the first time Sidon and Mipha had left the Domain without anyone else assisting them. It was to be a proof of braveness, proof of the strength the Zoras possessed. There was nothing to be afraid of - Sidon, grew up to be a skilled warrior, who could protect his dear older sister.  
King Dorephan had been busy dealing with the political situation between Zora and Gorons, some problems arose as of late, Sidon and Mipha did not quite understand what was going on. It was another show of royalty, the Zora King was very gifted to be able to hide his political business from his heirs.  
  
Recently, the King of Hyrule, who also was growing into old age, had abdicated the crown to his only daughter and heiress, Princess Zelda. The young lady had just hit a milestone and turned 21 last month; it was time she assumed the throne of Hyrule. Despite her young age, Sidon had heard a story about her and her peaceful, science-related decisions.

 

Presently, she invited the heirs of the Zoras to the castle. Sidon had readied himself by reading anything he could find about the political relations between Zoras and Hylians. For nearly two weeks he was reading book after book for eight hours straight each day. His eyes had nearly forgotten the sunlight during that time; every time Muzu had parted the curtains, Sidon had felt like he was blinded by the sunlight.  
Sometimes he had this feeling of understanding little to nothing and the frustration squeezed his stomach, it felt as if it tied itself into many knots. Fortunately, his sister had helped him if he did not understand a certain phrase.

The prince wouldn’t know what he would do without his sister.

  
“Aren’t you afraid, Sidon?”, Mipha suddenly asked with an abnormally dry tone. A little jolt shot through his back and soon his eyes were filled with concern when he gazed into his sister's eyes. Her face was not as elated as it was a few moments ago. Actually, it was quite the opposite, Mipha's mouth was pulled tight; she looked as if she wanted to hide somewhere and never come out again.

Of course, Sidon was terrified of that thought.

  
“No, I'm not, and you do not need to be also. We will do an outstanding job, believe in me!”, he said in an enthusiastic inflexion; As he endeavours to not show his fear in the slightest. If he would let her know, he was as unconfident as her they would be doomed. He promised to himself that he had to keep her smile, that was his duty as her younger brother.

Mipha couldn’t be depressed if he was in her presence.

 

“Let’s get a move on, my dear sister, you have an important mission to finish and you're on the right track!”, he told her, beaming while he held her hand. He was not going to let her feel any shred worthlessness, she had done countless good things to experience such a horrible emotion.

  
The smooth cobblestone of the winding road felt like the surface of the rich blue waters of Rails Pond. At that very moment, Sidon could feel the same elatedness washing over his entire body same as the time he felt when he had shown off to his father his first catch.  
The enormous gates of Hyrule Castle rumbled after the guards had identified them. The Zora prince had tried really hard not to cover his ears, it wasn’t a suitable gesture for a prince.

Sidon gave a glowing smile to Mipha and tightened his grip around her petite hand. They could accomplish anything when they were together.

 

Who could have known that this lovely summer day would end up being one of the most important events in the life of the young prince?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got [tumblr](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/) , so take a look there, if you want to!


	2. Zweites Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon meets Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Thank you so much for your amazing support, it makes me more than happy to get all kinds of feedback.  
> Well, in this story Link can talk like any other person can do. But he doesn't do it so much because he is a professional worker. :)
> 
> Anyways, I appreciate any kind of feedback! :D

The dust swirled in the air above the boarded road tickled Sidon's nose, he would have sneezed if Mipha weren’t at his side. The air in Zora's Domain was clearly different, it smelled fresh, lacking in staleness he sensed in Castle Town, and Sidon's lungs only were not accustomed to the environment.

Would it be rude to ask if he could have a bath after the discussion?

Sidon was too immersed in his musings that he hadn’t seen the princess and her royal guard approaching the entrance to the market. Luckily, Mipha was there for support, giving him a gentle nudge of encouragement.

 

They were not even a few feet away from them if the prince had to take a guess. Besides, all the attendees were running around the town square, carrying baskets and other things around, it made it not too difficult for the Zora ambassadors to distinguish her.  
  
It was not like she wouldn’t be recognisable. To be honest, she stood out of the crowd with relative ease.

The fair Queen was nothing like as described in the tales told about her. She was completely different. Her long, golden hair, pinned up into big knot shining beautifully in the light. It reminded him of the golden rupees Hylians tended to use as currency. Her white dress flattered her delicate body and her long legs. 

 

Suddenly, Sidon felt ashamed until his eyes wandered to the person standing at attention next to Zelda.

It was a young man, as high as a young Zora in their fifties, but Sidon was sure he had heard that Hylians did not age as slowly as his race did. Zelda was slightly taller than the boy next to her, and his hair had the same shade as golden Rupees had. 

Maybe they were siblings?

His shoulders were broad and Sidon was sure his arms, covered by a shining armour, were as muscular as his legs were. His facial expression was blank, showing not even a shred of an emotion the young knight felt.

It made him look stiff and aloof, but Sidon did not mind. It befitted a Royal Knight as himself.

The sword worn by him on his hips had a conspicuous colour, a dusty violet, highlighted with the alluring colour of those ‘Mighty Bananas’ had Sidon had seen in the Castle Town market. They were a subject of an argument for two slender Hylians, passionately shouting at each other in order to try to overcome the other’s opinion.

 

Sidon always wondered if he would find a nice girl like his father did, get married and raise some children of his own. He never doubted it for a second, there was no other opportunity than marrying a girl. But at the moment, as he looked into those strikingly blue eyes he forgot any and all plans he had in his mind.

 He never thought about love. The only things he were aware of were that he was male and had to find a female. There was no other option, or was it?

 Two males could not bear any children, and that was what love was all about, wasn’t it?

 But seeing this person in front of him, made him start to think about it again, something he has not done for decades.

 

He desired that boy, more than anything he’d ever wanted. He would do anything for those eyes, he could murder anyone who laid a finger on the knight’s head. Absolutely.

He wanted to get to know him, he wanted to spend his time with listening to the stories this human had to tell.  He couldn’t think of a single person as beautiful as this boy. Those deep blue eyes which in comparison, left Zelda looking pale and ugly, even with that long golden hair shining in the afternoon sun.

 

“Who is that?”, Sidon asked quietly while he evaded a person carrying a basket of vegetables he could not recognise. Mipha, somehow managed to look as elegant as ever while she avoided the many villagers bumping into her, smiled softly.

“That's Master Link. He is the royal knight of Queen Zelda”, she explained in a gentle tone, almost like she knew the knight better than anyone else in the square.

“Link…” Sidon's tongue made a slight curl when he tried to pronounce it. It was unfamiliar to him but better than everything else Sidon had said today. It was like a calming breath of air near the at the shoreline of Toto Lake.  
Sidon wanted to repeat it over and over again.  
  
  
When they reached Zelda and Link, Sidon struggled to keep his gaze away from the knight. It was rude to stare like that for too long. What kind of first impression would he have made if he would keep drooling over Link?

Mipha would hate him, he could guarantee that.

 

Lucky for him, the young man avoided Sidon' stares, knelt down as a sign of respect for the honoured guests, keeping his eyes down to the pavement. _It must be a terrible thing to look at the dirty ground_ , the prince thought. After all, Sidon and Mipha were no better than him.  
  
But who was he to criticise the ancient rules of their society?

Mipha's slender hands grasped one of his and generated waves of warming feelings, which rapidly shot through his veins like firing an arrow through the vulnerable body of a bokoblin.  
She smiled at him in a calm, gentle manner, suddenly, the whole situation was not as daunting as before.

The Queen's voice had soothed his stretched out nerves. Sidon was more than grateful for the kind gesture. She looked well beyond her years, so much, that it intimidated Sidon. He wished to react as inconspicuous as her to state visits some day.  
  
"Your majesty, We are honoured to be allowed to meet you today." Mipha's voice was full of awe and admiration.  
To their surprise, the Queen curtseyed to them as well. Her gentle voice floated through the air as if it was a leaf through the subtle waves of Mikau Lake. "The pleasure is all ours", she responded with an honest smile.

Sidon could see Link nodding in agreement out of the corner of his eyes.

"We should get inside, it must be scorching for you, isn't it?", Zelda said in a friendly manner while making an inviting gesture with her arms to one of the many corridors leading to the inside of the castle. Mipha nodded while he gave her a smile, she followed suit to Sidon. The young Queen, who's white dress glowed with the sunlight, led the way.

 

The conference hall, which was located on the fourth floor and was officially hated by Sidon, who hated taking the stairs. It was much bigger that Sidon had anticipated it to be. The walls stretched high above, and the grey bricks gave the prince a melancholy feeling like it would really matter what was about to happen next. In the middle of the room, stood a long table, in fact, long enough to potentially be the place where the difficult decisions were made. His sisters’ and his feet made strange sounds while they walked along the wooden floor.

Link's brown leather boots made determining clicks. Sidon could feel the serious and resolute aura emanating from his footsteps. Zelda took the tall chair at the foot end of the table, Link followed to the one right next to her. Sidon's sister was invited by the queen to take the next available seat next to her. The young Zora wanted so badly to sit next to Link, but he knew it would be wrong if he were to do so. Instead, he took the next seat by his sister.

The chair was surprisingly comfortable despite the fact it was carved out of wood. Although he had problems leaning back because the backrest was made for Hylians, and not meant for Zoras.

But that was something he could deal with. To take his mind off of his slightly uncomfortable seating accommodation, he took a moment to look at Link.

And this time he did not regret it in the slightest.

The blue tunic Link was wearing glimmered gently in the sunbeams peeking through the high windows. His sapphire-hued eyes made it a perfect match for his clothing choices. Sidon wondered if they were specifically tailored for him.

But, in all honesty, this was the tip of the iceberg, his beauty was hiding behind a proverbial wall. A wall of professionalism; complete with a calm, cool and collected demeanour. Sidon deep down, wanted nothing more than to shatter it and bring it down.  
Sidon was turned out from the conversation Mipha and Zelda were discussing.

His thoughts were focused only onto Link, and he could not help himself from enjoying it. He wanted to flood his thoughts about him, to spend every waking moment with those feelings.

Link was definitely worth it.

 

What in the world was he thinking?! He didn’t even know the slightest thing about Link! Not even his last name.

Sidon was lost. So, so horribly lost.

 

The Hylian cuisine was quite delicious. Zora typically ate raw fish and hardly ever cooked their own food. But the people of Hyrule seemed to get sick from eating it raw or something to that effect. Sidon did not understand their explanation completely, but Mipha gave him a watered down lecture a few minutes beforehand.  
Zelda had asked the royal siblings if they would like to stay the night. They accepted her offer being it was getting late, and the journey back to Zora's Domain was a long trek, difficult and quite risky. Monsters loved to roam during the night hours.  
  
Plus Sidon was quite amused with the idea of being near to Link for a bit longer.  
  
"What is the name of this dish?", he inquired, smiling politely in Zelda's direction. She, on the other hand, had just finished talking to Link before she turned her head towards him. “Oh, this one called Seafood Meunière. Do you like the taste of it?”  
“Oh it is delicious!”, Sidon had some problems keeping his voice to a reasonable level. Under normal circumstances, he would have shouted in delight.  
Mipha and Zelda quickly started conversing to each other and Sidon rapidly lost the track of the time. So instead of joining the conversation, he spotted Link, gradually making it over to him.

This idea proved itself to be the best decision he’s made all day. Link was a glutton. A bonafide glutton. A high-caliber gourmand so much so that Sidon hadn’t come across before in a Hylian. He crammed as much food as he could pile on the plate, and shovel into his mouth desperately as if he was about to die any minute. Zelda appeared to be irritated by it, judging by the scowl she shot in his direction.

 

Link was a glutton. A bonafide glutton. A high-caliber gourmand so much so that Sidon hadn’t come across before in a Hylian.

He crammed as much food as he could pile on the plate, and shovel into his mouth desperately as if he was about to die any minute. Zelda appeared to be irritated by it, judging by the scowl she shot in his direction.

  
Sidon didn’t seem to mind himself of Link’s table manners. It was admittedly more than adorable.  
  
“Your rooms are upstairs, do you wish to be escorted by Link?” Zelda asked after they had finished their meals, eventually, they meandered their way back to the main entrance of the castle.

  
The inner voice inside Sidon screamed with a defining “Yes!”. He desired to keep Link, like a beloved trinket. He wanted to keep him for only himself like he had never owned anything precious before.

 

But it would be rude to even mention that out loud. In addition to that, Mipha already turned down the offer politely, so there was no room for arguing against her anymore. Oh well, it’s a shame really.

  
Link wore a polite smile, gave a quick bow to the royal pair and excused himself from their presence. He whispered some words to the Queen, inaudible to be made out by Sidon before he spun his heels around to walk away.  
Somewhere deep down in Sidon's chest, there was a tug on his heartstrings. He wanted to get to know Link better. How could he manage that by not having any time to talk with him?

 

The door to his guest room squeaked ever so slightly when he opened it and it made Sidon smile like he was a little kid again. Hyrule Castle was old and prestigious; the squeaking door gave the palace a reminiscent kind of charm that Sidon couldn’t quite describe.

  
The room layout beyond that door was as luxurious as he thought it would be. The walls were painted an off white tone matching the upholstery of the furniture. In the centre of the room stood a huge bed which seemed to be antique. Suddenly, Sidon wondered who also used this room while spending the night.

Zoras were capable of sleeping on land, but it was not nearly as comfortable as floating in the resting pools in the Domain, gently moving waves to lull you asleep. Queen Zelda had excused herself several times for “this kind of horrible mistake”, but Mipha and he had assured her that a normal Hylian bed would be no problem to them.  
They only had to hydrate a little bit more than usual come morning.

 

The prince crawled under the cotton blanket. Despite his height, he managed to fit onto the bed, even surprising himself for a moment. Through the open window, he was able to make out the sounds of sparrows and a choir of restless crickets, which were carried to his window by the cool and gentle evening breeze.  
Sidon's mind locked on to thoughts of only Link again. The Zora prince was truly intrigued by the young man, he was different in some way from every creature he had seen before in his life. Sidon saw so many things in his little frame, which hosted a shining silver spirit, more beautiful than the gleaming depths of the Zora River.

He wanted to learn each and every little detail about the young knight. And he was convinced he could manage that much.


	3. Drittes Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon wants to know more about Link.

Sidon felt like a sun-dried tomato after he opened his eyes and a groan escaped his parched lips when he sat up.

The sunlight burned into his eyes as he awoke. Sidon regretted his friendly mood toward the princess. He should have mentioned to her that he would have like to sleep in a bathtub.

 

His silver jewellery laid on the bedside cabinet and he had like nothing to lay it on, but it was a better option than leaving it on for the night. Usually, he liked his clothing extravagant, but today, he got the feeling he was going to hate it.

 

Instead of getting up as he would have on any other day, he took in his surroundings. The gentle morning light, which gleamed through the window, made him forget any pain he may have had.

The starch white covers of the old bed made his scarlet scales stand out more than usual. The prince tried to raise his hand but he couldn’t reach far enough up. Pain seared through his body, for a brief moment, Sidon was disorientated, having some difficulty figuring out which way was up or down. He let his hand drop down to his side as if it was a sack of potatoes.

 

Carefully, he tried to duck his head down ever so slightly to take a look down at the floor. Sidon grit his teeth, trying his darnedest to ignore the throbbing pain. He succeeded.

 

From this vantage point, he could examine his hands while they were resting beside him. The tips of his scales were slightly dry He noticed he was having some troubles moving his hand in different directions. It was as if somebody had attached many strings to the top of them and every time Sidon tried to move his limbs, the strings tightened down on his joints.

 

He was uneasy about getting up. How would his feet feel if his hand was this weak?

 

Sidon's feet protested against the added weight when he climbed out of the big bed. The huge Zora male barely managed to tiptoe to the door on the opposite side of his bed. He needed approximately two minutes to cross those ten feed which laid between him and his saviour clad in blue.

He was almost at a speed which could compete with a snail’s pace, but he somehow mustered the energy to raise his hand and grip it against the golden doorknob on the door. The prince tried to stifle his grunts, they let them sound like childish, and he did not want rumours to be spread by locals.

 

It failed to work.

 

He hated himself for being pathetic. He needed to save face if he was to be a respectful representative of the proud Zora tribe; he wouldn’t be in the position if he couldn’t handle bearing a minimal amount of pain.

 

What would they think about him?

 

More importantly, what would _Link_ think about him?

 

As a knight, he surely was capable of dealing with different kinds of pain. Emotional and physical afflictions...

Suddenly, the mere thought made Sidon feel horrible inside.

 

The doorknob had a strange texture, Hylians used different metal alloys than Zoras. It usually it was iron-based; still, he was not entirely certain. But was something out there like brass. Sidon decided it was best to ask his sister about it later.

This door did not creak like the door to the entrance of the room. Sidon mulled it over in his mind, seeking an answer for it while he entered the bathroom. Once he had closed the door, he had time to relieve the pain in his hands. He took advantage of the moment to move his eyes around and scanning as much of the bathing chamber as he could possibly take in.

 

The most prominent colour was white, an identical shade used in his room. Most of the tiles were coloured differently, it varied from white to ebony. On the opposite of the position he stands, there was a window, which granted a beautiful landscape of the Great Hyrule Forest.

 

Sadly, Sidon never had the opportunity to travel there. When he was younger, he tried to reach it on foot, but there happened to be unnatural amounts of fog, which impeded his entry to the forest via the river. Fortunately now he had enough time to admire the view he had of it. It was really beautiful, the young prince nearly forgot his pained body, and the mountain of tasks which waited for him after he would have left the guest room.

Sidon quickly regained his composure to focus on more important things in his life. There was more than enough that he had to do once Mipha and he left the castle.

Hopefully, an opportunity would rise in the near future to visit the largest forest in Hyrule.

 

The shower was located to his right. After Sidon had seen it, he let out a sigh of happiness. However, he quickly regretted it because his battered lips felt like they would crack apart if he were to use them.

 

His steps were even more careful than before. Sidon got the feeling he would spend a few hours in the showers. The soles of his feet felt like he just stepped on smouldering coals, it reminded him of that day where the Lynel, which took up residence on Shatterback Point, and pierced an arrow through his left head fin. The impact of that single shock arrow had left a terrible wound which needed a few months to fully recover.

He was only a child back then and never had he felt such an agonising amount of pain.

To this very day, his fin has healed but ended up with a sizeable scar, but to him, it was a badge of honour. A few days later he had killed the Lynel. His blood had left red splashes on his pearly whites, which the young Zora had to use in order to shred the blasted monster's flesh apart.

Sometimes, Sidon thought he was too much of a savage to be considered a prince or even a member of the civilised part of the Zoran society.

 

Shark-based Zoras had stronger senses than other aquatic varieties of Zoras and Sidon and Mipha happened to be part of the shark Zora tribe. Sidon was an excellent fighter, and the best swimmer the Domain had to offer.

 

But also the most brutal when it came to combat.

 

Finally, he stepped into the shower cabinet. The prince gently closed the glass doors; with a blissful sound, he turned the water on.

 

The warm water streamed down his scales as Sidon tilted his head back to get as much water as possible to run on his face, his cheeks and lips. He could have easily spent much more hours under the refreshing spurt of water. It made him feel alive and it rejuvenated his weary spirits. Sidon wondered if Hylians felt as alive, as he was when they used their shower.

  
His eyes moved across the vast expanse of the Great Forest again and he cherished the gorgeous view; after he had wiped off the condensation that clung to the window from his steamy shower.

 

 

The dining chamber's floor was freezing to the touch. Sidon again noticed it had been laid out for Hylians. Zoras usually wore little to no clothing; he felt a twinge of jealousy when he has seen the Queen’s shoes.

 

“Please pardon this abrupt question, but where is Sir Link? I haven't seen him walking around this morning”, Sidon asked with a friendly smile while he avoided piling the caviar onto his fork. His sister’s face was coloured with interest, it reminded him not to act so nonchalantly. That attitude did not suit a prince.

Sometimes, Sidon deeply missed the days of his childhood.Muzu was an awfully strict teacher. Excellent, but he was almost spartan-like with his methods.

 

Zelda, who had taken the seat at the head of the table, surrounded by all kinds of important guests in attendance, looked in his direction. Her smile, Sidon noted, was overshadowed by an indescribable sadness.

 

“Sir Link? He is a royal knight, so I think he should be doing his usual rounds around Hyrule Castle.” Mipha scrunched her brow: “Please humour me, your highness, I thought he was assigned to be your royal guard?”

Zelda ignored the befuddled looks of her ministers, nodding gently to confirm her position. The emerald colour of her eyes seemed darker than it was yesterday; it made Sidon feel unsure himself. “Oh yes, he is. But I don't always need his services”, the Queen said, ending the conversation clearly.

 

Sidon gazed down to his plate, after looking back up he had shot an apologetic smile towards the young lady.

He had made a huge mistake asking about the status of the inner political courses.

 

Sidon had never known the human skin could be so stunningly beautiful.

Of course, he knew what laid underneath the scales of the Zoran body, his sister once had shed some of hers on her left leg when she was a child from an electrical burn. Her skin looked to be made of porcelain, glittering strangely in the morning light.

 

The skin covered the muscles of the Hylians, however... It was foreign to him.

 

Link shared the same complexion of the so-called Cucco eggshells he saw yesterday when he and Mipha walked through Castle Town. Maybe it was a little tanner, but Sidon could not focus on the details, because there suddenly was water on his body, and the royal did not know where it had come from.

It looked good on him; he liked the way the little drops covered his muscular form, while it glistened in the light shining from the courtyard.

He had to ask Mipha about it later.

 

Sidon was standing in the long corridor, nearby the door of the guest room Mipha was occupying. She had begun to collect her personal belongings, he already gathered his possessions before breakfast, but she had forgotten about doing it.

 

However, the prince wanted to help his sister, but she had refused his offer, now he was standing around without anything to do. At first, he was annoyed, Sidon had way too much pent up the energy to just stand around doing absolutely nothing.

 

But as if he was lucky, the windows in the halls offered an excellent view on the training grounds the knights use. It was more entertaining to watch them train than sitting on his laurels all day. Sidon decided to observe from his perspective below, hoping to get a glimpse of the Knight.

It only took a few moments to pick Link out of the crowd of knights, his blonde locks were something that made him easy to pick out from the crowd of knights. When Sidon finally found him, he had to resist the urge to not jump out of the window and greet him.

Link looked handsome- so, so handsome. Sidon could feel his cheeks turning blue, and he absolutely hated it when he did that.

It was a weakness, and showing weakness was not a proper protocol of a royal person.

 

Something in Mipha's room dropped to the ground, breaking his attention from the Knights below. Sidon immediately pushed himself away from the cold, lithic wall, turning around on his heels, which lost some scales during that action.

Shark-based Zoras were mainly guided by their instincts, he could not withdraw the raw need of protecting her, she was family. The Prince made two long steps toward the door and tore it open.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's a horrible cliffhanger: Who's the mysterious person in Mipha's room? You can send me an ask on [tumblr](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/) to tell me your speculations. I'm looking forward to your messages! :)
> 
> My headcanon Sidon blushing blue instead of red was shamelessly inspired by [this beautiful artwork.](http://kukumomoart.tumblr.com/post/159845597999/kukumomo-i-love-the-new-art-of-link-blushing)


	4. Viertes Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! :) Thank you for the huge amount of feedback I've got in the past few days! It means more than the world to me and I appreciated any kind of review I've got. You're amazing and I 'm so proud and happy to have each of you in my life. 
> 
> Thank you so much. <3
> 
> Important: In this chapter, there's a small reference to another SidLink fanfiction. Send me your answer via Tumblr ask and I will write a short SidLink drabble for you if you're the first one. Don't forget to add a request! :)

 

“Mipha!”

 

Sidon's voice boomed, the loudest of any Zora living in the Domain. The prince could be easily heard by every Zora when they controlled the water level of the East Reservoir Lake. Even if Sidon stood at the other side of the lake, every guard could understand him without problems.

But when he shouted near other people, he made them despise him. A young Zora, who once had fallen into the Reservoir Lake, he had ruptured her eardrums. He had covered the Zora's ears but it did not help.

The colour of Sidon's eyes was hardly there, his black pupils dilated to occupy his whole iris entirely.

 

 

The room looked normal, much too normal for such a loud clatter. Mipha stood in the centre of the room, pressing her belongings to her chest. She swirled around when she heard his brother's scream.  
  
“Sidon!”, she gasped.  
  
Her eyes were torn open, while she was looking at him and Sidon could see the fear in her golden eyes, overtaking her whole body, her mi-

“Excuse me, Milady!”

The voice was definitely not a voice of murderous intent. Rather, it sounded much too friendly, harmless to even a fly. It emanated from outside of the bathroom and Mipha turned her face away to draw her attention to the voice.  
  
“It's alright”, she said in a soft, soothing tone; her eyes regaining her usual lovely colour, which reminded Sidon of the ambers he had seen being sold in the Castle Town market.

  
The door opened and Sidon cringed at the loud creak sounding through the room. The person, who stepped out of the bath chamber was.. different.  
  
It was a young girl, maybe passing for 19 years of age if she was lucky. Her eyes had the shade of burgundy, Sidon had also seen tapestries being sold in that hue in Hyrule Castle Town. Sidon had never seen young Hylian having a hair colour like those grey almost silver strands of hair.

“You're not the usual maidservant, are you?” his sister asked out of curiosity after she put down her belongings onto the vanity in the room. The girl nodded in agreement with Mipha question, while she pulled her short blue dress tight in her hands.  
  
Her cheeks were imbued with the colour of red roses, her face expressed an unyielding look of being indebted, far more than what Sidon could tolerate.

The young maiden spoke nervously, hastening her words so much faster than the prince could follow. She was stumbling over her words like a newborn fawn getting up to do it's first steps. “No, the chambermaid caught a cold yesterday, so I'm her replacement for today, as per request of the queen. I'm so sorry, Lady Mipha, I did not pay enough attention while I tended to the sink. The vase on the left side of the vanity fell down, in pieces on the floor. It was a horrible mistake on my part, I already cleane-”  
  
Mipha stopped her prostration with a soft smile: “No, it's alright. Please don't blame yourself for this accident, it could have happened to anyone.”

The two crimson hairpins, which pinned her hair into its bun, glimmered softly in the morning light when she bowed her head. “I deeply appreciate your kindness, Lady Mipha.” She made a small curtsey, shaking from the fright, it was so apparent that even the prince could smell the fear coming from her.  
  
She had the faintest smell of pumpkins - Kakariko Village's speciality.  
  
  
Sidon noticed the mark on her forehead before she turned to leave the room. It was an eye, painted with a scarlet red tint. The paint, he noted was a richer saturation than the cherries his father loved.  
  
It was the symbol of the Sheikah Clan, the protectors of the crown.

She paused; her eyes met his gaze. It felt like time had stopped for just a moment and Sidon could only focus on her face.  There was so much to observe, to discover as if she was a book which was locked and the key to it was long forgotten.

As fast as the moment had come and gone, the woman quickly departed through the open door and closed it, quietly vanishing without a trace.

Sidon turned to take a look at his sister. She did not even pay attention to their now departed guest anymore.  
  
He quickly shook his head to free himself of those confusing thoughts and turned his attention back to Mipha.

 

“Am I able to help you in some way, dear sister?”

 

 

They stood at the entrance of the castle, Mipha held a tiny box in her arms, as well as Sidon. Their silver crowns twinkled to the beat with the Queen’s crown in the warm midday light, which lit up the halls of the main entrance to the palace.

 

“I'm are very honoured for you to grace the Kingdom of Hyrule with your presence”, Zelda said in a formal, festive tone. Link, who was kneeling on the ground at her feet, much like the day they first met, averted his view to the ground, avoiding any kind of direct eye-contact with the crowd.

It was a shame to hide such beautiful blue eyes away from every person, save the Queen. The golden straws of hair felt next to Link’s face and underlined his delicate jawline and his pale teint.  Sidon liked the colour of his skin, it was so different to his scales. It’s structure amazed the Zora, he only had a few spots on his body, which were not covered with rough scales and it was completely new to him that there were creatures in Hyrule that did not even had a single one. 

The bow of Link’s back was servile and did not suit the strong and independent soldier.  _ He should be treated with respect, he had seen more battles than anyone else. At least Mipha told me that _ , Sidon thought and his eyes narrowed.

 

“It has been an absolutely worthwhile visit”, the prince responded in a friendly manner, he could swear that he heard the knight chuckling under his breath.

 

 _Not again,_ it was too much, repeating these emotions he felt from the night before.

 

Sidon was well received for his encouraging speeches he presented to everyone, wherever he travelled to. Many Zoras enjoyed it, but it almost seemed to be inappropriate using it in the presence of other royalty.

If he had dropped a bombshell of news, Zelda had taken it in stride with perfect grace and poise. Her cheery smile looked deceitfully real to the average citizen, Sidon didn't receive a strange look from Mipha.

 

Maybe, it wasn't as bad as he thought.

 

“We would like to express our gratitude by presenting you with these gifts. We would be most honoured to accept them,” Mipha said as she stretched her hand forward to receive the gift. The ebony boxes were warm from absorbing the sunlight, making its smooth surface shine from the refracted glow.

 

Zelda gently placed her hands on it, pressing it to her chest,.She put on a delightful smile on her face: “This wouldn't have been necessary. But I feel it was the right thing to do. I am truly honoured to present these to you.”

Sidon cleared his throat: “Sir Link, I also have a present to give to you, for your dedication and unwavering loyalty. I would be grateful for you to receive as well if her Majesty has no qualms with doing so.”

 

A noticeable hint of twitch shot through Link's body before he stood up to glance at the Queen, then he locked his eyes with Sidon's. They lacked their usual lustre, it almost felt like he was being kept like a prisoner.

 

Deep and obscure, Sidon felt like he could never reach the surface of his emotions again, leaving behind to drown into the bottomless depths, full of mysteries and wonder.

 

Link's slender fingers met his once he got up from his position, grasping the package. He would have wanted nothing more than to entwine those delicate fingers with his own. The skin of the knight's hand felt different to his, smooth and like the petals of the blue-white flowers Sidon had seen in his room.

 

He could have spent hours just to caress those hands. He wanted to know every flaw, every scar, every blight on his beautifully stunning skin.

 

He wanted to-

 

 

“Thank you, My Liege. I am honoured that you thought of me,” Link answered, catching Sidon off his guard. His voice was quiet, yet it sounded deep, like the cracking of wood deep in the forest.

 

Sidon knew this voice of the Knight could tell the best stories like no one else, he would fully believe anything this voice had to say. It surrounded his body like a spider's silky web, glueing him in that position.

 

He missed the contact that was lost between his cool scarlet scales and Link's warm skin.

 

The gentle breeze gusted, which tousled through Zelda's and Link's hair, giving Sidon butterflies of desire, making waves through his heart when they dissociated from each other.

 

 

“I never thought I would ever be  so happy to be swimming again!”, Sidon yelled excited after they had left Central Hyrule behind them. A few seconds before they had passed Woodland Stable, but they swam through the Hylia river blindingly fast they could barely make out the stable anymore. Usually, shark-based Zora could achieve a maximum speed of 31 miles per hour, but Sidon was an exception. With a top speed of 46 miles per hour, he even surpassed the fastest members of the royal guard.

 

Currently, he and Mipha rushed through the water, leaving swirling waves as they splashed vigorously upstream. They needed to make it back to the Domain at 1 in the afternoon, sharp. There wasn't  much time left to take in and appreciate the admittedly breath-taking environment, which engulfed the sandy shore of the Riverside.

 

The moment they cleared the curve to the adjoining Zora River, they nearly splattered water over an unsuspecting Hylian walking to the left of the riverbank. Mipha's apologetic words were nearly drowned out by the crashing waves left by them.

 

 

Sidon's feet made a funny squelching sound, only his steeled willpower could stop the Zora from jumping about to listen to it again. Mipha, who couldn't even fathom the idea of jumping around like a child, walked beside him in the direction of the throne room.

 

The domain was stunning as always, the gentle rays of sunlight gave the pillars of luminous stone a unique and wonderful glow. The fountain in the plaza of the domain bubbled merrily and the young Zora children were busy with running around it.

 

No, not every child.

Sidon had seen her before, she was also a shark-based Zora, but she was orphaned at a young age. If Sidon could be even half as devoted as he usually is, he could have been able to remember her name. But he was too busy mulling over all the important political information rolling around in his mind.

 

For one moment, Sidon faltered. What kind of information? He did not even listen to the conversation between Zelda and Mipha. He had been busy with thinking about Link.

 

Oh goddess above, the Hylian knight had ruined his mind.

 

 

“Mipha, I'm so sorry!”, he nearly screamed, but in the last second, he remembered where he was. He could not scream around if there were other Zoras around him. Not anybody needs to know that he was a complete failure.

 

Mipha turned her head around and gave him a confused glance. “What are you talking about, dear brother?”

 

The corners of Sidon's mouth twitched in an unnatural way, maybe he was about to go mad. “Excuse me, but I had been no help during the conversation between the Queen and you”, he explained himself, frantically waving his hands around.

 

How could she not understand his problems, it had been obvious.

 

“That's no problem, Sidon”, Mipha calmly said, while she took the first step of the stairs leading to the throne room.

 

“Pardon me, what did you say?”

 

“Sidon, stop blaming yourself. You had been nervous, that's completely okay.”

 

He was the luckiest person on earth, how did he deserve someone as pure and lenient as his sister?

 

 

 

 

It. Did. Not. Go. Away.

 

Why? Why did he still thought about him? It had been three weeks! Three weeks!

 

Sidon let out a frustrated groan. He could not concentrate if he was thinking constantly about Link. Why was he still in his head, Sidon had only seen him three times.

 

There was no logical explanation for this.

With a frustrated groan, he threw the book he had read a few seconds before on the high desk. Immediately, he regretted his actions and took the book in his hands to check if he damaged it.

 

Muzu would have killed him if he had. Muzu... Oh, this could be a great idea.

 

With a triumphant “Ha!”, Sidon stormed out of the library.

 

 

Sidon's legs were too short to properly sprint and it looked absolutely ridiculous if he attempted to do it. But in this moment, the fact was totally unimportant to Sidon. He had a brilliant idea and there wasn’t anything that was going to stop him from acting it out.

 

  
  
He only had to go find Muzu, the Zora elder would know the answer to his question.  
  
It was ten o'clock in the morning, Muzu usually tended to help his father, since he was not in any position to do anything to advise any more.  
  
The library was located on the upper side of the domain, near to his private chambers. It was a short distance to the throne room, due to the fact Sidon was jogging, he had no problem reaching it in little to no time.  
  
Kind Dorephan sat on his throne and Muzu was standing to the right of the throne, speaking quietly to him. Sidon, who just had bolted around the corner to the entrance of the large hall did not hear the hushed voices whispering to each other the latest gossip.  
  
  
However, it would take some time till Sidon would understand the importance of the rumours he nearly heard.  
  
  
“Sidon, my boy, what’s gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?”, his father asked as he entered the throne room. Sidon smiled brightly, he loved his father more than anything, he didn’t want to worry him about his feelings.  
  
“I'm fine, Father, thank you for asking”, the young prince said in a lighthearted tone, trying to play down his strange behaviour. “Would you mind if I borrowed Muzu for just a moment to have a word in private? I won't be long.”

The king nodded to his request and waved his hand in the direction to excuse his most trusted confidant from his presence. Muzu obliged to follow Sidon, who already had stepped on the balcony leading outside, in front of the room.

  
  
“How can I be of service to you, my prince?”, Muzu asked in his usual dry tone and gazed up into the golden eyes of the prince. However, Sidon was not discouraged by that attitude, he was accustomed to this behaviour of his.  
  
“Muzu, I met a royal knight”, Sidon started, but he did not get far with his sentence because Muzu interrupted him promptly. “That's a normal occurrence,” he said in an unnerving tone, which made Sidon fume, his blood boiled inside of his veins.

But he managed to calm his temper, that's just the way Muzu was and always has been. He accepted that fact and went along with it. He needed to if he had a snowball’s chance to save face.  
  
“Of course, Muzu. But he wasn’t just any normal guard, he was the appointed personal guard of the Queen, his n-!”

Muzu interrupted him again, Sidon would have screamed if he wasn’t what he said afterwards. “Ah, you're talking about Sir Link, aren't you?”  
  
A big smile lit up the prince's face, he nodded excitement, “Yes, do you know about him?”

  
Muzu’s mood went sour, judging from the frown that appeared, but his voice remained cold yet somehow gentle. “He's a young man, approximately 19 years of age if I'm not completely mistaken. It caused quite a scandal a few years ago. He's pretty stubborn, tenacious even; he went as far to refuse to live in the house the Queen offered him for the last two years. Instead, he prefers to live in Hateno Village.”

  
  
“Thank you for telling me this... but... why are you so well informed?”  
  
“It's part of my job.” The elder Zora chuckled.  
  
  
Hateno Village. How interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link's voice actor in Breath of the Wild also gave his voice to several anime characters. In [this video](https://youtu.be/b-yCzcYqH5E?t=33s) you can hear him speak. It's the black-haired guy who jumps off the bed. 
> 
> You want to see more? Check out my [tumblr](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/)! :)


	5. Fünftes Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon witnesses an unusual happening.

The chillingly cold water, which surrounded Sidon felt just like the blanket his mother had made for him before she had passed away. As smooth as the life giving liquid, it had swaddled his body snugly while she had told him bedtime stories.

Sidon started from an early age to learn to read those stories on his own. Sometimes he went as far as to reading bedtime stories for his mother, even to Muzu, who had been irritated by it but humoured the young prince by pretending to like it. The prince had read it nearly every day, every second he was not away with Mipha or was in the middle of lessons from Muzu.

The day his mother passed on, he did not even so much as glanced at the book his mother had given him a few days prior. Sidon had placed it in the farthest reaches of one of the last bookshelves in the library.

It was a long time till he was even capable of picking up the book in his hand. Since then, there have not been any other book, which laid so close to his bed than that particular one.

 

 

It was a beautiful day for a Sunday in June, the sunlight was shimmering, a gentle yet soft breeze blew in the distance. It has gradually been getting hotter over the last few weeks; the month soon was drawing to a close and the scorching summer season was about to come into full swing. This time of the year, it was especially important for every Zora to stay adequately hydrated. There have been stories passed down about ancient folk, who had died of thirst from a lack of foresight.

 

Sidon was sure they only were stories told to frighten misbehaving children, but as a young child, he also believed them to be true.

 

The sunlight reflection sparkled above and below the water’s surface of the river and Sidon could never get tired of the view in front of him. The Zora had been on the way for a while now and since he had taken the turning from Hylia River to Squabble River at the East Post he did not pay any kind of attention to his environment. 

Sidon's head came to the surface, but it did not take him so much time to get his bearings in order. A few feet away in the distance he could almost make out the Dueling Peaks reaching up to the cloudless sky. A wide grin spread upon his face as if he saw a sign. It was not going to be long before he reached the outskirts of Hateno Village.

 

Several days had passed since Sidon had asked Muzu about Sir Link. He did not have enough courage to press his teacher to learn more details, it would have been too obvious if he had done that. Instead, he had read a few books, which described the usual working day of a knight.

Among other things, Sidon learnt that high-ranked Knights were off duty for the weekends. Link is one of the most important knights of the guard; So logic states that this rule should also apply him, right?

 

And today just so happened to be Sunday. Link should be at his residence in Hateno. At least that is what Sidon hoped so.

 

The Zora Prince quickly passed the steep ravines between those daunting cliffs above, he performed an elegant jump to clear the low bridge, which led to the stable at the foothills of the immense mountain range. It was a scenery that could steal your breath away, Sidon had to admit when he turned around while he reached the peak of his jump.

 

He only had to pass the Cliffs of Quinche.

 

 

The dusty dirt path was completely barren, Sidon had not seen so much as a single soul on his journey to Hateno Village. The forest, which was to his left,  let the light stream to the dot ground. It made the grass look even lusher than it would be otherwise.

 

Sidon had leapt out of the water, like he did always and stuck the landing just south of the forked road, his route to the small village tucked between the mountains.

 

So far, so good, he was reading his notes he had jotted down along the way about the lone, stoic guard of Queen Zelda. He lived on the outskirts of the village, some people said he was a lone wolf, usually keeping to himself. Possibly it was the fact that he actually owned a real wolf made the villagers keep their distance.

 

Link was exotic, far from anything he had ever seen; Sidon wanted to discover every nook and cranny of his heroic soul.

 

In the moment, Sidon took to the direction of Hateno Village, his gaze turned over to the higher grounds, which encompassed the small village. Top of the cliff, Sidon could see a small house, there was a pond that connected with the river he just jumped out of.

 

_Bingo._

 

 

Sidon was a fast swimmer, but he was having trouble keeping the noise as subtle as possible. His instincts were those of a shark, distinct but reliable. But he was too giddy to bother to even listen to the sound.  _What would Link look like, did the hair of Hylian grow as fast as the Zora children?_ Maybe Link grew it out long enough to be put up in a ponytail.

 

 _If he had grown?_ Perhaps he was as tall as him now?

 

Sidon had been too busy with these questions, being excited as he approached the house; he almost has forgotten the most important truth.

 

Link was not aware of his visit.  _Oh no_ , what could Sidon tell Link as an excuse for disturbing him on his free day?

 

Sidon stopped in the middle of the river, buried his toes into the wet sand of the riverbed, and swaying with the current. Why did he not think about it  _before_ he decided to visit his favourite Hylian?

 

Should he make up a story? Like he heard he owned a wolf and wanted to see it for himself or he had business at the dye shop, in favour to his father, the king?

Or just give him the truth? That he took interest in him, so he decided to visit out of the blue and to make small talk in order to get to know him better?

 

 

Why was it so difficult? Sometimes, Sidon wished to be an ordinary person. But not today. If he had been normal, he would have never met Link.

 

The shear thought motivated the Prince so much, he had to keep himself together even more so and to not shout in pure bliss. That’s it. He would fess up and speak the truth. This had always worked the best for him.

 

With his resolve made clear, Sidon continued swimming upstream. It could not be that challenging to be honest.

 

 

He could not be further from the truth with that thought; It was going to be a formidable challenge to be straightforward with the knight, Sidon detected.

Especially if the person you wanted to be honest with did not wear a shirt.

 

_Oh Hylia, I know my status, I am royal, I should not be interested in this young Hylian man wearing no shirt. I should be interested in Zora females in the first place._

 

But he could not deny it, he liked Link’s broad shoulders. The salty liquid which coated the smooth skin, Sidon had learnt it was called 'sweat', gave the man an almost angelic glow to his appearance.

 

Sidon had more luck than he thought, Link did not look his way.

 

Next to the small house lay a small pond, an immense tree stood next to the shore. Sidon could see a knot in the tree’s trunk with some pots hidden inside.

What kind of surprise would await Sidon if he were to open one of them?

 

Sidon floated along the current into a slightly bigger pond right behind Link's house. He could make out the shelter right next to the knight's house and there Link was working at his grindstone, repairing some of his cherished blades from any damage they may have received.

 

The noises of metal grinding onto stone made high and unpleasant sounds but Sidon could not see himself to care. Not if the wolf Link owned stretched out in the sunlight and the young man whipped his sweat from his brow.  
  
His usually strong arms let Sidon feel like stewed plums after the trek and he deeply regretted his decision. How could he talk to Link if he almost fainted at the sign of his muscles?   
  
  
The weapons Link already finished sharpening leant on the wooden frame, which supported the grindstone and Sidon's attention was kept by the sparkling of the different blades. If his memories were not completely wrong Link also owed a Gerudo Scimitar. 

Could it be possible Link would like to use another race's weaponry? Maybe he could present him a set of Zora weapons of his own?

Little bubbles rose and broke on the surface of the water in front of his face as he exhaled slowly. The soft waves of the small pond splashed against Sidon's face and he had to blink multiple times to prevent his view from being obstructed.  
  
He did not want to miss a single detail while laying his gaze to Link. He could have spent many hours simply watching him work, it was something strangely attractive Sidon could not put his finger on.

 

The movements the young knight made were precise, he knew exactly what he was doing. It had some peaceful feeling to it; Sidon never wanted to burst this bubble, the bubble of perfection.

 

As the sun nearly hit the first leaves of the majestic tree next to the house, the Wolf stirred himself from his nap under the trees and silently trudged towards Link. In awe Sidon watched the Wolf nudge his nose into his hip, causing Link to jump in surprise from being so focused on his work.

The wolf looked different from the other wolves Sidon had come across in Hyrule before. The wolf in front of Link was bigger than the Cold-Footed Wolf of the Hebra region or the Maraudo Wolf, which inhabited the open lands of Hyrule Field, south of the Castle. 

Its charcoal coat was marked with white stripes, highlighting it’s snow white underbelly, it’s silhouette was sharp and squared forming to its body. The wolf's head just reached Link's waist and Sidon was suddenly overcome with the feeling of fear. If this beast was Link's companion on the battlefield, he could understand that great reputation Link has come to enjoy.

 

  
However, Link did not seem to be frightened by the wolf, To be frank, he was quite reserved, almost if he seemed to adore the animal. Link laid the weapon he was working on aside and kneeled down to give some attention to his pet. Now, the two of them were at eye level, a huge smile lit up the knight's face before he gently laid a hand on top of the wolf’s head to give it a pat. 

The wolf let out a gave a quiet bark while he wagged with his tail, his tongue hung out in contentment. Link's quiet giggle made it all the way to Sidon’s ears.

 

 _For the love of Hylia_ , he could not stand this cuteness anymore. His heart clenched while waves of bittersweet adoration washed over him, and he was on the brink of giving his position by letting out a desperate sigh of longing.

 

 

And so this particular sunny Saturday drew to a close, with Sidon swimming around in a small pond, to observe the man of his dreams with a wagging head fin, and Link, playing with his precious pet. 

 

It could not have been more wonderful.

 

  
  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the new chapter! :)
> 
> I've been messing around with paint to show you the exact way Sidon is swimming.
> 
> You can check it out [here.](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/post/161131898516/sidons-swimming-path-and-links-house-in-sense)


	6. Sechstes Kapitel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! :D
> 
> I'm back again with a new chapter! It took awhile but it was worth it, believe me! 
> 
> As always, comments are highly appreciated! [Hannah](http://mewringo13.tumblr.com/), also available here on [Ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mewringo13/pseuds/mewringo13) had helped me out again with this chapter. Go check out her work, it's worth it!

The steady drumbeat of the rain against the stairs’ surface numbed Sidon’s mind while he was talking and soon the patterning rain cleared his mind. All that remained was a feeling of pureness in the prince's chest and making him climb at a breakneck pace. Since he was little Sidon had loved the sounds the rain made as it fell more than anything.

It even brought back his memory of his first time seeing falling raindrops. He had known water, of course, but he had never thought it would be anywhere else other than in the riverbed. As a result, he was befuddled when the sky opened up into a rainstorm. He was away with Mipha at the time, carrying him in her white sash wrapped around her body when he did not have legs yet. Back then, his body only consisted of his head fin, albeit much smaller at the time, along with his head itself.

He was not even had been able to speak yet, and the only way he could express himself with was making strange, jarring sounds. It was horrible to hear. That was his first time he saw the rain, and he had made a proper intelligible sound.

Mipha often told him it was the first time he had laughed.

After Sidon had returned to the court inside of Zora’s Domain, he took a look around. Sidon noticed he had arrived a bit later than he intended to, the sun had already begun to set. 

The guards took to their usual rounds, only taking their attention away from their path in front of them to briefly greet him. He took the time to gently smiled back in response. He also beamed a smile in the direction of Seggin, but he was too busy muttering something to himself to recognise Sidon's presence.

Sidon quietly laughed, sometimes his people were the strangest folk he knew in all of Hyrule.

The entrance to the throne room was guarded by three well-built Zoran soldiers, who had a look, that could easily defeat any Lynel that would dare to cross paths with them. Their obsidian scales glowed in the soft bluish light emanating from the pillars made of Luminous Stone, which supported the whole construct of Zora’s Domain.

However, when Sidon took the last step of the stairwell that angled to the left of the Domain, their faces lit up and started smiling.

It did not suit them; it was merely an act of favour for the Royals.

“Prince Sidon, your royal highness! We were worried about your well-being!”, the tallest of them said and stepped aside to make room for him. Sidon smiled brightly: “Oh, there’s nothing to worry about, my dear citizens! I had the most beautiful of days!”

He knew it was not the right way to announce to them where he had been travelling to, but he could not bring himself to tell them that he was stalking the Queen’s personal knight.

“What happened in my absence?”, he asked instead and his smile twisted with a slightly confused look, the guards barely took notice of the changes in the crown princes’ tone,

“Well Prince, you should take a gander yourself, we’re not in charge to inform you about the happenings inside the throne room.”

Sidon’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Something unsavoury was taking place, and he was a little bit afraid to find out what was going on.

He made a few steps forward in an attempt of entering the hall, the guards quickly stepped aside to clear a path for him, wearing slightly disapproving looks upon their faces. They were trying their best to hide it, but it was futile, Sidon saw them as he passed by anyways.

Their hearts were pounding inside their chests, like a young bird’s wings hammering against the palm of a young child, you could hear their pulses cut through the silence of the throne room. The three Zora were trying to conceal it, but Sidon could easily read the changes in the electrical fields surrounding them.

“Thank you for your work to protect my family”, he said to them, throwing a charming smile their way before he rushed into the royal chamber in front of him.

His father looked drained from the kingly burdens and Sidon could have sworn his heartbeat has slowed from its usual rhythm. His gaze wandered onto Muzu, who was standing next to him, resting upon his regular spot next to the throne. Besides that, everything looked to be normal, till Sidon recognised Mipha, standing to the right of their father.

Dorephan had tilted in his seat to get a glimpse downwards, his massive head dwarfed Muzu and Mipha making it look nearly ridiculous to see. 

They were conversing with each other, their voices were muffled and hectic to make out anything from a distance. The prince was unsure if it was wise to interrupt them, so he decided it was better to stay quiet until they finished their business.

 _It's weird that they didn’t recognise me right away_ , Sidon thought, Mipha should have felt his presence when he entered. It must be a very important conversation if his own sister was distracted enough that she could not detect the sounds of his footsteps as he walked in.

It took awhile till somebody finally noticed him, of course, it was Muzu, who only had looked up for just a moment, but not even seeing him in his direction. His eyes lit up as soon as it dawned on him and he rapidly turned his face towards Sidon’s father.

“Your majesty, your son returned”, he announced in a normal volume, which obliged Mipha and Dorephan to pause their conversation and look to his direction.

“Father, sister, I’m glad to see you doing well!”, Sidon said with a glowing smile, which was as bright as the noontime sun. His arms were outstretched as far as he could reach, it was as if he could feel his own motivation coming back to him.

He did not have the chance to talk to Link? No, but he was sure he could catch up on that another time.

In this glorious moment, he felt invincible, like he could do anything for anyone.

His father’s eyes were full of empathy and love as they always were, through the bags drooping down suggested that the King had been awake for several days on end. Mipha did not look any better, her whole figure seemed to have crumbled and her hands were shaking a little bit.

“Sidon, my beloved son, where have you been all day?”, his father asked and Sidon immediately felt a cold wind pass right through his body.

How could he explain that basically, he stalked the personal guard of the princess entire day? There was no decent explanation for that stunt, so he chastised himself for his stupidity and lack of foresight.

Why did he not have paid attention to this before? Oh for Hylia’s sake, he was an idiot.

“Father, I decided to take a trip to Lake Hylia. Fronk mentioned me his wife had disappeared a few days ago after a flood passed through, and he felt too discouraged to search for her by himself. So I took it upon myself to help him out!”

In reality, the lilac scaled Zora, Gaddison, who always patrolled on the bridge to the right exit of Zora’s Domain, had already done that, but his father did not need to know the minor details about it. Sidon was more afraid his father could call his bluff, so he tried to change the topic quickly.

“Did I miss something important?”, he asked around. Mipha, who did not have to say a single word yet gently smiled at him. “No, my dear brother, it's only some political issues you don’t have to worry about. Are you hungry from your trek? Do you want to eat something?”

Sidon recoiled because of the harsh way he had been brushed off. Usual, his sister was one of the nicest people he knew and it was not in her character to give him the cold shoulder.

Except for early mornings... Sidon was afraid of even talking to her until she had eaten breakfast later into the morning. She was more dangerous than a six silver Lynel when she was on an empty stomach.

“Of course, my dear sister,” Sidon obliged, trying to mask his confusion and his anger of not being included in the conversation.

His mother would not have wanted him to fight with the other family members.

As the two of them departed from the throne room, he could see the worried expression that laid upon his father’s face and Muzu’s pinched lips. Something was definitely amiss and Sidon knew he would never learn about it if they did not tell it to him directly.

It had become a strange kind of routine for Sidon to disappear for the entire Sunday. Everybody had noticed it, but nobody had bothered to talk to him about it.

Sidon did everything to ‘visit’ Link often as he could. He did not shut the curtains in order that he could wake up at sunrise, bright and early at 7 am; he skipped the usual breakfast with King Dorephan, Mipha and Muzu just to be on his way as soon as possible. The whole week, he always thought out a good excuse for his little outings when the weekend along. Sometimes it was a meeting up with another Zora, on other time he was accompanying some Zora’s to the East Reservoir Lake to help fix something there.

Sidon had never listened so intently to other talks than before.

He never was the type to be a grump in the morning; rather, he was a morning bird, it was easy for him to wake up with the sunrise. However, Mipha, on the other hand, was the kind of person you would never go to wake them up till later in the morning.

So he did everything not to wake her and it proved itself to be one of the most difficult tasks he had to deal with in his entire life. Mipha was a light sleeper and he was sure even the faintest sound of a pin drop could wake her up in an instant. And if that were to happen, he could kiss goodbye any plans he had of seeing Link again. Her chamber laid exactly parallel to his, and he had to take the corridor in that very direction.

Today was going to be two weeks since he visited Link for the first time; it was about time to pay him another visit. This week had been the worst one by far.

The whole week was a marathon to keeping up the ambition to swim over to Hateno Village. He could not help it, he needed to see him again, to gaze in admiration of those flowing caramel locks, and oogle over that strongly defined jawline. However, even his nerves of steel were not unbreakable.

The Domain remained silent, Sidon made sure to make as little noise as possible when he set out into the river below the huge building complex. Zora had excellent hearing and Sidon was sure if somebody would hear him, he could guarantee to forget his plans for the weekend.

As soon as he made it to the stream below, he was relieved when the water splashed across his neck. Now, if he could make a beeline straight to the underpass of Luto’s Crossing he would be safe, then he could swim as fast as he usually would.

He needed almost five minutes to reach the roaring waterfall in front of Zora’s Domain and it made him sick to his stomach. Never had he been so slow, even as a baby, he could have sped past himself right now. Sidon spent a short moment at top of the waterfall, admiring the view the Zora River had presented him.

He was lucky to be born as the prince of such a beautiful kingdom.

After he passed Oren Bridge behind him, Sidon increased his speed to his limit. His mind was full of divided thoughts, was it right to leave his kingdom for a purpose as selfish as his. Would Mipha be able to handle everything in his absence?

Sidon wanted to break down and cry; was his behaviour justified? He was at a loss with himself.

Luckily for him, the goddess did him a favour of creating such a strong sweeping current down through Zora River. It almost pulled him in the Link’s direction, as if it knew about his desires.

Even the environment knew of his demands, it cannot be wrong, right?

At least he was not alone with his thoughts.

Sidon had to admit, Link looked simply stunning in the morning sun. His skin glowed faintly, almost like the Silent Shrooms during the night, which were dotted along the way to Zora's Domain and illuminated the way when the serene moonlight hit their hats. 

Link was so different from him but his beauty was unparalleled. Sidon had seen pictures of the other races though Hyrule in one of the many books his mother had given him. The illustrations were splendid, the artist must have been quite talented.

However, he never would have thought Hylians could be so handsome to look at. Of course, Sidon knew in every living or unliving thing laid a subtle form of beauty, but he had been sure it was in limited quantities.

After he had seen Link, Sidon was not so sure about that fact anymore.

The prince could hear the distant vocal tones of the Knight, who currently was laboring in front of his house. Maybe laboring wasn't the right term, rather he enjoyed tending to his yard.

Link not only owned a wolf, no, he also could count a horse to his ownership. A beautiful mare Sidon detected. It’s coat had the rich colour of chestnut brown and the long mane and tail looked like creamiest milk Sidon ever had seen.

The horse’s beauty was almost a contender to the handsomeness of it’s owner.

In this moment, Link was cleaning the proud creature; Sidon’s eyes followed the dust cloud that would follow every stroke Link made with the horse brush.

On the knight’s face, he could see a huge grin, and it was something the Zora wanted to see forever. When he looked happy, Link looked to be his correct age, he really looked like what a normal 19-year-old man was supposed to, not like a stoic knight that had to mature early on.

Sidon was sure Link was a delightful person. But, why did he chose the path of a warrior, with those skinny arms and long, slender legs? The Zora prince’s body violently jerked at the thought of Link having been forced to bear that burden.

The sunlight was as pleasant as always in June, it provided shadows that outlined Link’s toned arms and highlighted the strong tendons of his hands. Next to the knight’s side laid his big wolf. It seemed to enjoy the sunlight as much as Link himself; The white stripes on the wolf’s fur looked to be lit up in the sunlight and he looked even more intimidating than usual.

The wolf opened his mouth wide and let out a loud yawn as it stretched itself out. Sidon could catch a glimpse at those long, white canines, making him shiver from the sight. How many bones could those teeth crack at once? Sidon was not willing to find that out. 

Unfortunately, Sidon was too caught up watching Link he did not spot the Bokoblin lurking at the other side of the pond. It was a blue skinned one, with greedy eyes and armed with a pitchfork. Maybe, it had had some troubles with dealing with its group and needed to act out its aggression? Or it was just eager to destroy something. Probably the later of the two.

It was not much brighter than its rusty coloured allies. The quiet breeze blew by, which he used as a cover to sneak up behind and ready it's pitchfork for the kill.

Sidon did not hear him, he felt it's presence.  


He had now time to react, no time to defence himself. It would take too long to climb out of the tiny pond, it was also not deep enough for Sidon to hide into it properly.

As the bat rushed away over his head it made a whistling sound and Sidon was sure the sharp edges of the bone, which was attached to the rotten wood had only missed him about a few millimetres.

Thank Hylia that the Bokoblins were not the smartest of the creatures in Hyrule. The monster let out a high-pitched cry when it launched its strike, it almost made Sidon whine and look away from it once it began to swing it’s weapon above it’s head.

Sidon felt utterly helpless, he was sure if he dashed forward and bit that monster on the ankles he would get sick from biting into raw Boko meat, and it was likely he would not win the fight.

He was not willing to risk his own head for this. He was a Royalty, after all, he was needed by his people.

  
He ha-

A swirling sound cut through the air around him and it left his twin fins swaying in the wind that blew back from something that whizzed through the air. 

The next seconds felt like an hour. There was an arrow pulled taut against the bowstring, he had the Bokoblin’s forehead in his sights and fired. The arrowhead pierced through the blue skin of the monster, causing a big gash, and copious amounts of blood to splatter the surface of the pond.

The monster staggered into the lake, which barely gave Sidon enough time to climb out of it. However he did not have even the chance to launch an attack himself, a second arrow followed close behind the first one, causing the monster to wail out from the fatal wound. 

Sidon let out a relieved sigh. Link could have died. 

A smile spread across his lips, and he was felt indebted to the person who had just saved his life.  He turned around after almost losing his balance because of his stubby legs and big feet, his smile soured like a failed attempt at baking a cake.

Link looked absolutely beautiful holding his bow. Really stunning. Every muscle in his body was tense and made Link appear even more dangerous than he already was.  But his eyes frightened the Zora Prince. They were full of mistrust and concern.

“What are you doing here?” Sidon was spotted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon of Sidon and Mipha feeling the electric impulses of other living beings is grounded on the fact that sharks got a special organ, called Ampullae of Lorenzini. 
> 
> Everyone can use my headcanons but please mention me as the creator. :)
> 
> The description of baby Sidon was inspired by [this masterpiece by skyfangz](https://skyfangz.tumblr.com/post/161052500784/remember-those-zora-babies-in-majoras-mask-mipha), [this artwork by nyokey](https://nyokey.tumblr.com/post/161126389248/so-uh-i-saw-skyfangz-s-tadpole-sidon-and-i-just) and [this post by skyfangz](https://skyfangz.tumblr.com/post/161193905319/more-mipha-and-baby-sidon?is_related_post=1). Please check out their art, reblog or like it if you like some of their artworks! :)


	7. Siebtes Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidon and Link get close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> sorry for the late update my cat died and I had some troubles with starting writing again.
> 
> As always, comments are highly appreciated! [Hannah](http://mewringo13.tumblr.com/), also available here on [Ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mewringo13/pseuds/mewringo13) had helped me out again with this chapter. Go check out her work, it's worth it!

The silence between him and Link was unnerving. It was similar to the unsettling pressure Sidon felt when he had been swallowed by the huge Octorok he once fought in Lurelin Village decades ago. His stomach wrenched against his arms and shoulders in protest. Sidon was sure he had lost the tips of some of his scales back then.

 

If Link continued to look at him with that face, he definitely would have lost more than some mere scales in the crossfire.

 

  
Sidon had no words for his actions, not even the slightest idea as to how he could justify himself. The bewilderment on Link’s face became increasingly intense, disfiguring his charming looks. He still had his bow firmly in his hand, the bowstring was slightly taut, ready to fire another arrow, the sharp head was aimed towards the ground. But he felt the flurry that Link already sent through his body before Sidon could even muster to utter a single word to him.

 

The wolf Link owned, circled around it’s owners legs, holding itself at a stooped posture while it added its piercingly blue eyes at him; It was even more intimidating point-blank, its lean legs showed each muscle and Sidon was most certain that he could tear apart every single bone in his body, limb from limb.

 

They looked like they would not even hesitate for a moment to launch the killing blow.

 

Link would not kill him. He could not, it would cause major problems for him, some that he may not be able to wrap his mind around.

 

 

“I ask you again, why are you here? Get to know the weaknesses of a Royal Knight?”, his voice was cold as ice, so unbearable that Sidon’s entire body made a violent shiver.

 

The wolf bared its teeth, and began to snarl, positioning it’s forelegs to a more favourable position towards the ground.

 

 

“No, please Sir Link, I would never even think to even try to do that!”

 

“I won't repeat myself a second time.”

 

“I’m not here to-”  


“Answer. Me. _Now_.”

 

“I admire you!”

 

 

Link’s eyes widened, revealing his sapphire blue eyes in all of their glory. His reaction amazed Sidon, he did not know that a Hylian could open their eyes to that extent.

 

The gentle breeze blew Link’s locks into his face, covering his strong chin, it seemed oddly soft. His lips were slightly agape like he wanted to try to say something, but he could not find the right words. Link still was holding the bow, but the tension dissipated from the bowstring. Surely there was not enough power in those small slender fingers to use that weapon properly.

 

 

Link also looked more handsome when he was trying to kill somebody.

 

 

“You... like me?” His voice was confused and lacked those sharp edges it had earlier. However, he did not let go of his bow. It remained just as he had it with the arrow tip pointing down to the ground, ready to fire to pierce his scales apart.

 

 

“Yes, of course, I do!”, Sidon said with his booming voice; it was almost a sound of desperation, because, to be honest, he was downright terrified of Link.

 

He must be a terrible sight to see, he was acting childish, afraid of the actions of a person, who was not the same status as he was. But, Sidon had every right to be frightened of him.

 

After all, the warrior in front of him was a walking weapon. Link must also be an excellent sniper if he was chosen as the personal guard of Zelda. Sidon had read several reports detailing the selection process, which needed to be conducted every time there was a vacant position.

 

It was tough; to even be worthy of consideration, the candidates must have experienced war at least once and had to be proficient in wielding a variety of weaponry. Hand-to-hand combat expertise was also a necessity.

 

According to Link’s lean, muscle-bound arms, Sidon was sure Link could easily beat the living daylights out of a foe with just his bare hands alone.

 

And to top it off, he successfully managed to get this said person infuriated with him.

 

 

“ _Prove it._ ” Link’s voice cut through the air like a knife through a warm piece of butter, his eyes narrowed in disbelief of Sidon’s confession, the wolf at his feet growled affirmingly.

 

 

To even say Sidon was desperate was a grave understatement. There was no way to show him that he did not lie, he could not figure out a good way to explain while Link held his weapon, the string was pulled taut and ready to take aim at his head.  
  
Zoran folk had a few weak points; one of them were their necks. The scales, which guarded typically guarded the vulnerable skin below, were flimsy due to the fact it is a rather intimate point along Zoran form. It was an extremely vulnerable place to let someone else you were not engaged with to make contact with this spot.

Sidon body was flooded by heat and embarrassment. _Did he actually have the gall to…_ _Allowing Link to touch his neck?_

 

Hylia helps the boy, his mind was spinning out of his control, like a senile old Zora remembering the good ol’ days.

 

He was between a rock and a hard place. There was no way of getting out of this alive if he were to try to retract his confession.

 

 

The grass under his knees scratched at his armoured scales, a few grains of sand got under them somehow and began to irritate the delicate skin underneath. Sidon hated that when it happened. He was a cleanly person, he always remembered to shower in the morning, he cleaned the debris under his nails every day, and paid a lot of attention to others’ outward appearances.

 

 

Sidon had to admit, Link seemed to be a little bit conceited himself. His eyebrows were neat lines, probably had a habit of plucking any stray hair, and the prince was sure his legs had just been shaved just from his glimpse of what little smooth skin that was exposed.

 

 

After a while, when he felt comfortable enough, he tilted his head to the side. His scales were warmed by the sunlight and Sidon could feel their excited twitches. It had been awhile since had someone let touch them, they were sensitive and commonly used as biting spots during mating.

 

Sidon’s wet tongue licked his chapped lips, a miserable endeavour to fidget in order to comfort himself. His eyes were closed tight, painfully pressed together, avoiding to see the intimidating look in the knight’s strikingly blue eyes.

 

 

Link’s muscles caused a pleasurable change in the electric field surrounding the Hylian boy as he took his first steps towards the Zora kowtowing below him. His wolf remained close to his side, ready to attack the moment Sidon would dare to make a false move to his master.

 

The Zora’s heartbeat was embarrassingly fast like the current in Hylia River, it took almost all of his willpower not to twitch with his fingers or to shove around only to calm himself down. His body flushed only by thinking about those slender Hylian fingers touching his neck.

 

Link was almost there, Sidon was sure he was trembling, whether because of embarrassment or sheer excitement, he did not know what was going through Link’s mind at the time.

 

_For Hylia’s sake, touch me already!_

 

 

Link’s fingertips were just inches away from his scarlet scales, Sidon’s breath was visible on his clothing, his face lost the rosy hue it once had, his stomach was starting to fill with butterflies when...

 

_At this moment, I would commit murder in order to feel your fingers upon my skin._

 

Link’s hand was vigilant when it brushed against Sidon’s scales. It did not fit his robust yet conflicting image, but in the same moment, there was nothing that could be as the dulcet feeling of the gentle strokes from the Knight’s fingers over his damp scales.

 

Sidon would have let loose a breathy sigh behind his lips slipping out if he was allowed to do so.

 

Oh, how he craved for this intimate moment between Link and himself.

 

How he deeply wished for the liberal yet indulgent contact would belong to him; Everyday in his life, having an everlasting place in his heart for each and every day that remained in their lives.

 

Sidon’s mind was shrouded by the idea of never losing this satisfying exposure ever again.

 

 

* * *

 

**_The fishing line tugged at the long stick, the running water echoed in his ears. The fish he had caught flopped besides his feet, only to be pounced and dragged away by a sneaky cat, who darted into the tall grass, the plants rustled under its’ paws as it made off with his meal._ **

 

* * *

 

 

Sidon’s snapped open his eyes the moment Link staggered back. His motions were those of a boy, clumsy and laughably uncoordinated. The Zora prince observed the teary eyes of the worried knight; noticing the clouded, dim expression that was unusual for him, replacing the normal decisive look Link usually wore with confidence abounding.

 

As Link’s ankles brushed against the wolf’s body, Sidon leant forward to catch Link’s wrist as it hung at his hip, to keep him from falling flat on his face as his legs began to give out from underneath him.

 

The beast behind bared its fangs and started a deep snarling sound; The wolf’s eyes were locked onto the Zora’s body, the pupils began to dilate, registering each and every move Sidon made.

 

Link’s body shivered violently, he was not prepared for the assistance from behind, only to stretch his other arm and catch his fall. His caramel strands of hair tickled his long pointed ears, making them twitch adorably. It reminded Sidon about the massive whirlpools he had once seen as a child when they visited Lake Akkala.

 

The knight’s eyes regained their normal focus. confusing Sidon from the sudden change.

 

Link’s skin was warm to the touch compared to Sidon’s cool scales, they felt as soft as the silk Mipha had worn the day of their beloved mother’s funeral.

 

The sudden movement of Sidon’s grip had caused Link to stumble forwards and now, their faces were nearer than it was considered as normal by the etiquette. The Zora could see every single pore up close on the Hylian boys’ skin, every blemish, every scar that marred his beautiful face, everything was on display for Sidon to examine.

 

Link was just as breathtaking up close as he was from a distance.

 

 

Their gazes were locked in place like an antique key trying slip into an old lock; not willing to let each other go, no matter how one or the other would drag on their bodies. It was a feeling of euphoria keeping up their skin-to-skin contact. Sidon wanted to see how long it would take till Link would push his arm out of his way.

 

 

Surprisingly, Link did not even show the slightest hint of fatigue. Against all expectations, the corners of Link’s mouth slid up into a mischievous smile, causing Sidon to narrow his eyes slightly, questioning the knight’s intentions.

 

_Why is he grinning like an idiot?_

 

 

“Are you afraid? Possibly because I could kill you without a second thought, M’lord?”, his tone was sharp and directly to the point; Sidon also noted a hint of a taunt in his question, which fit the half-assed smile way too well.

 

The knight was teasing the Prince. This game was a two-way street, and he knew how to play this kind of games.

 

“Oh, I only know all too well I couldn’t compare to you in a fist fight, Sir Knight.”

 

Sidon received much pleasure from seeing the look on Link’s face change from that snarky remark. He looked confused, it clearly stated that he never got a rebuttal like that before, especially not from a royal. That surprised look on the Hylians’ face was already reason enough for Sidon to sneak out of Zora’s Domain to observe the young man at his house.

 

 

Sidon loosened his grip on Link’s arm, as gently as he would have done with a Zora newborn, or his sister, Mipha. His skin caused a delectable friction against his scales, Sidon savoured it far more than he should have. The knight’s limp arm swung back and forth, almost like it were made of jelly after Sidon let it go.

 

 

Link did not even bother to take his eyes away from Sidon.

 

 

It took some time until Link walked a few steps back. Sidon would have like nothing more than taking the same amount of steps forward to close the distance between himself and the knight. Link broke their eye contact to the ground in front of his feet.

 

_Was he embarrassed from their embrace?_

 

Then, he made a deep bow, the tone of his voice sounded different than it was a moment ago.

 

“I’m sorry for my behaviour, I... should have trusted you more,” he said to break the awkward silence between the two, his voice sounded full of guilt and shame.

 

Sidon’s stomach twisted into a painful knot, there was no reason for the Hylian to apologise for his actions. Sidon was the one, who was at fault after all.

 

He watched Link as his head was still bowed down, he honestly did not even feel a shred of remorse for doing so.

 

“There is no reason for your guilt!” the prince said quickly, he did not want Link to feel insecure at all, “It’s your right to be furious with me!”

 

 

The knight’s head flew back up. Link’s brow was raised, underlined from his confusion he was feeling.

 

“You’re... not disappointed, M‘lord?” he quizzically asked as he braced himself for the worst.

 

“For the love of Hylia… Of course not! I am the one at fault here, so it’s my responsibility to apologise for my actions!”

 

To make his point, Sidon took a bow of respect to the knight, as well as giving an encouraging smile in the direction of the young man before him. Link was at a loss for words. It was a first for him to have a person of royal standing bow down to a lowly servant such as himself. Zelda was much too graceful for stooping down to do something like this.

 

 

“How can I make this up to you? There must be something that you desire,” Sidon asked respectfully, he could not cut Link short of his worth, it still was important to let him feel that. They had straightened up and stood in front of each other. The wolf had taken a seat next to Link. From a quick glance,  Sidon could see that the animal was not fond of him.

 

Who could blame it for acting like that though? He towered over them, over eight feet tall, complete with razor sharp teeth. He was the kind of foe the wolf was supposed to take down while protecting his master on the battlefield.

 

 

Link’s face was deep in thought before he finally spoke, “Hrmm... I… want you, to join me for dinner!” as a huge, endearing smile spread over his face.

 

 

 _Wait, what? That was it? Such a simple request?_  It took a moment for it to sink in; Sidon needed to clear his throat after he was caught off guard from his suggestion.

 

“Pardon?” he asked, though he had understood the boy completely, it was hard for him to believe his ears of what he just heard.

 

But Link did not seem to mind to repeat his question once more for the baffled Prince. The knight seemed to be delighted. Sidon would be a complete moron if he did not accept the invitation and turned it down. The face Link would make in his mind made him shudder.

 

 

“Of course! I would be happy to have dinner with you!” Sidon nearly yelled his response with his arms outstretched and a bright grin plastered onto his face. He was sure the sunlight reflected off of his pearly white teeth just perfectly, so Link could admire their shine for long as wanted to till he was satisfied with the sight.

 

 

“Good to hear~. But, before we do, you should get to know my pets, my wolf is a really aggressive guard dog, as you know,” the knight said and patted the head of his wolf gently. Sidon slowly took a step forward, trying to follow in Link’s stead.

 

He had to admit, he was a little bit nervous, after all, he was a huge walking and talking fish, and who knows if the wolf would not try to take a bite of him.

 

Link flashed a smile at him, trying to making sure Sidon was not discouraged as he leant in to begin petting his wolf.

 

 

 _He’s got to be great with the kids_ , the prince thought, and the imagination of Link playing with children diverted him from the sharp claws of the wolf.

 

 

“What’s his name?” Sidon asked when he towered in front of the young man and his dangerous pet below him. The Zora took notice of the height difference between them again and he felt a little bit guilty for Link, who had to crane his neck up to see him properly.

 

 

“I named him Mahigan,” Link said softly as he looked back down to the wolf,  the prince could easily hear the love in his voice. Link cared deeply for the animal at his feet. Sidon observed the eye contact between the knight and Mahigan, he could see their friendship, two companions, who trusted each other with their lives.

 

Sometimes, Sidon wished he had a person like that at his side.

 

“If you want to pat him, down bow downwards, only if you want don’t want to lose your face. Wolves don’t appreciate that, it’s some kind of war declaration to them”

Sidon listened carefully, he did not want to look like a fool on first actual time when he actually talked to the young man as near-equals.

 

“So another words... it would be smart to kneel down, right?”, Sidon asked to make sure. He was not interested in losing his facial features any time soon, he liked his looks far too much to be careless with them.

 

Link nodded, the green grass created a beautiful contrast against Link’s golden hair and his ocean blue eyes.

 

“Hey there, boy,” Sidon said while he adjusted himself in front of the wolf. Despite the fact he was kneeling, he was still above eye level of the wolf, he even had to look down at Link!

 

Mahigan’s eyes were intelligent to a fault, they almost had the same shade of blue than his owners, albeit a slightly paler hue. Sidon paused, it was uncommon for an adult to have blue irises, sure they start blue as pups, and then gradually change to either brown or yellow as they grew. At least that was what Sidon read in one of those books in his collection on wildlife in Hyrule.

 

However, the wolf’s eyes were as calm as still waters, Sidon started once again to examine the rest of Mahigan’s body. It was huge from close up, the prince could see each and every muscle under the shimmering black coat. It was menacing to see up close and in his personal space.

 

But Sidon had faith in him, Mahigan lived in a village full of other people, he was not just a mindless killing machine. The wolf’s heart rate was also calming to listen to. Sidon could not feel a single muscle twitch underneath.

 

 

“May I touch him?” Sidon asked, moving his gaze as to look up a little bit higher. To be honest, there was not much of a height difference between the wolf and his master.

 

Link tilted his head back and forth, speculating if it would be safe enough for the Zora to touch his companion. After a brief moment of silence as he thought, he finally said something.

 

“Yes, but you need to offer your hand out to the front of his muzzle so he can take in your scent,” Link answered him and Sidon did well to heed his order.

 

Mahigan’s snout was cold and wet, and Sidon could feel the tips of his scales stand up from the strange feeling he got its nose went to work. The way the scales stood up on a Zora was the equivalent of a Hylian getting goosebumps.

 

He was utterly confused when he first heard that Hylians did not have scales but fine hairs which were not the best protection from cold weather, clothing was a must in order to ride out the winter months.

 

But Sidon had to admit, he found their skin was a wondrous thing to see.

 

 

The wolf turned its head and rubbed his palm,“I guess he’s taken a liking to you. Start scratching under his chin, he loves that,” he heard Link instructed, slowly the Zora moved his right hand under reaching the white underbelly.

 

When his hands met the wolf’s coarse fur, Sidon let out a sigh of relief, he had to admit, for a moment he did not fully trust Mahigan to stay still, was a from a tribe of fishy folk after all.

 

Full of amazement the Zora prince touched the snow white strands, he never had felt something so soft and light. Mahigan laid down and rolled over, expecting a belly rub from his new best friend.

 

A breathy chuckle escaped Sidon’s lips and his eyes were full of amazement when they met Link’s eyes. “Go on, he wants you to rub his belly, he only will do that if he totally trusts you.”

 

 

 

And so, a friendship started - one in which was about to change every aspect in the lives of the two young men.


	8. Achtes Kapitel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I'm sorry this took so long, I had been busy and somehow I was unmotivated. But I'm back, the DLC pumped me up and here we go again! Hopefully, you enjoy this chapter! Remember: I'm part of the upcoming SidLink Zine! I will inform you if there is something new to tell!

“So, are you finished with spoiling my wolf into oblivion?”

Link’s snarky comment halted Sidon’s hand to a stop immediately. His eyes widened a little bit, recalling the last minutes. What had he done? Something rude? Maybe he insulted Link, he was not that familiar with Hylian customs. Almost frantically Sidon tried to find something in his mind, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. To his horror, he could not say how much time had passed by, he had been too focused on scratching the belly of the huge puppy dog to bother paying any kind of attention to anything else.

He gulped. Bad timing brain, bad timing.

 

But how could he have not been captivated by those fluffy ears? No Zora he knew of had any hair and it was intoxicating to feel it tickle against his rough scales.

 

Sidon’s gaze wandered towards the knight’s body, looking for anything to admire on his frame. There were the creases of his trousers, the unruly shirt collar that was half popped and wrinkled beyond belief. It befitted Link, they made him look as adventurous as a warrior should be. The sun-tanned skin was flattered by the elegant cloth that covered the majestic neck of the Knight which was stretched upwards, like a thirsty flower towards the first morning dew covering the ground.

The Hylians were built differently from the Zoran body in many aspects. Sidon had almost non-existing legs, they were stumpy and terrible for running- his were thicker than other Zora.

 

“Eyes up here, I’m talking to you!”

 

Sidon felt his cheeks turning blue. His gaze laid on Link’s neck for longer than it was appropriate, admiring the soft freckled skin that glistened in the sunlight like one of the sapphires Mipha wore on her tiara atop of her head fin. Sidon cleared his throat to hide his sudden embarrassment. He had to pay more attention to what was going on in front of him, more that what his wandering mind was doing now.

“Ahm, I’m sorry, I got carried away,” he admitted shamefully as he stood back up. It was surprising how small Link suddenly seemed when he had to look down to see him. Nevertheless, he was not to be underestimated- the knight was trained to be deadly despite his outward appearance. Or... maybe because he was still uneasy of that thought, Sidon was not so sure.

 

Sidon looked around for a bit before he spotted what he had been searching for. “Ah, it’s your horse, isn’t it?” he asked excitedly and he could feel his tail swinging to and fro, much to his annoyance. It was like an instinct, he couldn’t exactly control it, but he had to do it when he felt strong pure emotions. It must look hilarious to watch, a huge Zora with a wagging tail was something rather unique; His mother often had told him it had something to do with him being shark-based.

  
Sometimes it was really embarrassing not being able to control your own emotions, but it was like a sneeze, it needed to get out of his system.

 

Sidon didn’t realize it, but Link’s lips started to pull into a smile at the sight of the flicking head fin.

 

“Yes, it’s my horse- or rather- she likes me enough to stick around here.”

Sidon’s frowned and sent a perplexing gaze towards the young man: “What do you mean by- ‘She likes me enough’?”

Link’s gaze wandered a bit and met his a moment later. That small smile turned into a sunny grin after thinking about his words for a moment. The afternoon sun glowed over his skin and Sidon could see his teeth glistening from the reflected rays. It was a nice view that Sidon got and he caught himself not caring if he took too long to look at Link’s dazzling smile.

 

“Well...” he started to explain, “I don’t really like to talk about Epona like I own her. She isn’t my property. She is a living being, a partner, an animal which feels safe enough around me to stay here. It’s an honor to be the friend of something so... majestic.”

 

Link’s voice was full of pride and Sidon could easily see the deep friendship the Hylian and the horse shared. He could feel the jealousy bubble up within his core. Sidon craved for nothing more than a friend- someone he could honestly relate to, someone he could tell his deepest, darkest secrets.

 

Sidon was naive- sensitive, for his and the emotions of others. He didn’t know it yet but he would make hurtful experiences with his soft and gullible way of feeling.

 

 

Link cleared his throat what caused Sidon jump from the sudden noise. He was easily distracted as of late, a development he was not quite so fond of. Maybe... it was Link and his charm that made him the mindless creature he was now. It made him feel unsafe, but it let adrenaline flood his veins and he would be a liar if he said he didn’t like it.

 

“Pardon me Link, I’m a horrible sounding board, could you repeat for me what you’ve just said?” Sidon asked politely, trying to avoid any uncomfortable questions. He was lost in his own thoughts much too often to even excuse it anymore.

 

Link, however, was tactful and didn’t ask any questions. Sidon was more thankful for it that he should have been. However, being tactful didn't stop the Knight from making smart suggestions.

 

“Sidon, would you like to pet Epona? She’s a gentle horse.”

Sidon’s hand faltered for a moment. It wasn’t the because he didn’t like horses- he admired them, they were great but…

 

Sidon was afraid of the sheer size of them- really afraid. So terrified that he didn’t like to come near one of those creatures, he liked to observe them from a safe distance. And he dare didn’t overreact, they were dangerous on both ends, while questionable in the middle.

He was a prince, he needed to be brave. Of course, he knew that, but this was a topic where his joking came to a screeching halt. He was a Zora, he wasn’t made for riding horseback. He was made for swimming through the river currents like a hot knife through butter. And those things were as different as the moon was to the sun.

 

He felt bad for his cowardice but he couldn’t help it. The Lynel had made a lasting impression on him- A terrible impression. But he couldn’t tell Link about his fear! Never, absolutely not. It was ridiculous and Sidon was more than ashamed of it.

 

The long pause between Link’s question and his answer that had yet to leave his lips left no room for speculation. The knight beside him knew he was uneasy. Sidon didn’t want to hear the answer. So he decided to start talking. Just talk about anything else besides this. To prevent Link from scoffing at his incompetence.

 

“Ahm, well... it’s not like I’m afraid because I’m not- I mean- why would I be? She seems to be nice enough and I would totally pet her muzz-”

“Just admit it- You’re afraid of her.”

“Well..”

Link lifted his eyebrows after seeing the panic that spread across the Prince’s face. He knew he hit the nail on the head with his retort. Sidon sighed and manned up,“Yes… yes, I am.”

 

 

Sidon’s gaze fell to his feet in the grass. He always did that, every time he had the feeling he had done something embarrassing. It was a habit of his since his childhood, the one time he had made a younger Zora eat a crab without minding the sharp pincers. Or, the one time he accidentally dyed the scales of his sister- he liked the rich violet color, but she seemed to have hated his idea.

 

Nobody could do anything right after all.

 

The other time he killed off the Lynel atop of Polymus Mountain. His dad was furious, yelling at him- how he could’ve been that careless and stupid. Sidon had bawled his eyes out, and in the end, his dad had, too. Soon Muzu and Mipha were in tears, and the entire throne room was filled with sobs and wails.

 

Sidon had always been afraid of judgment, since his earliest days he always had to be flawless. A royal such as himself didn’t make foolish mistakes, a leader was strong, brave and trustworthy.

 

Sidon didn’t feel like that at all. He didn’t want to be a leader, he had done too many mistakes for that and in addition to that, he wasn’t really made for it. He lacked the necessary foresight or calm demeanor. Sidon was just the opposite- impulsive on his decisions and hasty to act on them.

 

Not a single quality of what a leader should be like.

 

Mipha was- she would be a fantastic leader some day. She was everything a Queen needed to be... and Sidon hated this fact with a burning passion.

 

“That’s not a problem... Many people are in fact. Even some of the knights I knew had had some trouble with the war horses,” Link mused lightly which put Sidon completely off guard. How could being afraid something that he could put down easily? It made no sense at all. He, was a disaster...

 

For him- for others- for everyone in his close environment. If his father would’ve known he feared something as silly as a horse he would’ve laughed.

 

No real man was frightened by some mere creature, it would have been ridiculous if it would’ve been otherwise.

 

Sidon risked a quick side glance in the direction of the other man. He met Link’s gaze- his azure eyes looked calm and he was patiently awaiting his reply. Sidon tried to find a response in his mind that didn’t sound wimpy and pathetic.

 

The gears in his head whirred in an attempt to find a feasible solution. No luck getting around it without getting embarrassed. Link seemed to cue in on that as well.

 

“We can do it step by step if you want to,”  Link offered with a gentle smile as if he knew exactly what Sidon was feeling at that very moment. Sidon wondered if he helped other people with their fears when he nodded to answer the knight's offer.

 

Sidon’s steps were insecure and slow, clearly showing the conflict that was clashing inside of his mind. It didn’t help to have Link standing beside him, it felt more like a test, a test of strength, or in his case- willpower. Of course, Sidon knew Link didn’t see him as a coward, but somehow it still loomed over his head.

 

The grass under his feet was soft to his touch. The Prince was sure Epona enjoyed grazing it. _What did grass taste like_ , he wondered as he let his gaze wander over the blades of emerald grass. Link’s cottage was a quaint place, quiet and peaceful. It suited him, in a strange reserved way, considering the position he held.

 

But... maybe it was something soldiers tended to prefer. A calm place to live in, far away from the bloodied battlefield and all those burdens Link surely had heaped upon his shoulders.

 

Sometimes, Sidon wished that he didn’t have to live in the Domain. Sure, he loved his people but it felt like a huge commitment. Always doing everything right, making the right decisions. He had some difficulty with that, to say at least.

 

When they walked over to the horse, Sidon felt like he wanted to run away in terror. Something very inappropriate for a future king of the proud Zoran race, but how could he not want to hide? The horse was enormous. It was twice the high of Link at least, if not higher! The hooves were huge, they easily could break the toughest bones if Epona wanted to do so.

 

She was a deadly beast.

 

Some people would’ve said that Sidon overreacted a bit, but Sidon didn’t overreact. Never ever. He always spoke the truth. Every- single- time.

 

“Horses can feel fear, so calm down,” Link mentioned out of nowhere as if it was something as casual as the weather. Sidon gulped. He wasn’t afraid, he wasn’t allowed to be, he had to fulfill the expectations people had in him. And he would not let Link down.

 

So he tried to do the only thing helping him escape this dire situation. Deep, relaxing breaths. It was really difficult- considering the fact a huge horse stood in front of him, a creature that could possibly kill him was staring him down.

 

He took some more deep breaths before he looked down at Link. He was greeted with a smile and an encouraging nudge. It was gentle and soft, it made Sidon feel safe- as weird as it sounded like.

 

He gave Link a smile in return as well, although his wasn’t as dazzling as the last one. It was shaky like a leaf swaying in the autumn wind.

 

_Dang,it._

  
Epona raised her head up the moment Link clicked his tongue, causing Sidon to flinch. His eyes roamed over the huge body of the horse before their eyes. She had a nice, warm color like the melted milk chocolate he had seen in some of his picture books. It made her look friendly and forgiving, like a mother.

 

It was confusing, Sidon always thought horses were evil and deadly since Lynels had a similar form. Maybe, he was just too focused on the bad experiences to make room for new good ones to take shape.

 

“If you keep being that stingy, she never will allow you to touch her.”

 

Link’s voice was low and calming, almost like the current of the Zora River. It sounded like the voice of a wise teacher, trying to explain to their pupil why certain things were the way they are.

 

It only solidified Sidon in his convictions and he took another deep breath before he nodded.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yes, I’m prepared.”

 

“Alright then...”

 

Link gave a quick whistle and it had a solid sound, making it crystal clear as to who was in charge in the relationship. Maybe owning a horse was like babysitting? Setting limits and prohibiting certain things. Sidon was sure Link was skilled at that, he had a natural aura surrounding him which was powerful and unrelenting.

 

Sidon liked it, it was the aura of a real leader.

 

When Epona galloped towards their direction. Link was still standing next to him, the Zora actually had an opportunity to take a closer look at the animal. She was breathtaking. Her coat shimmered in the gentle evening sun and made it look like the bark of one of the apple trees Sidon once spotted on his journey to Hyrule Castle.

 

Her mane was surprisingly creme colored in contrast to the rest of her coat. It had the same shade like the white scales of his belly, and it made her look all the more majestic.

 

Sidon could understand why Link was so proud of her, Epona was a stunning creature.

 

She came to a stop right before Link, gently bowing her head down. The whiny she made was quiet and calming, and Sidon noticed they were in no way related with those deafening roars a Lynel made. Epona’s however, reminded him of the soft spring breeze that blew over the Domain.

 

Link laughed softly before he reached up to rub her neck. Sidon watched the small hand petting the soft fur and the scattering dust particles that fell with each stroke, whereupon  Epona snorted tenderly to the attention he was giving her.

 

“Hey, girl... How ya doin’?” Link cooed and scratched her right behind her ear before he turned to face Sidon. “Well... did you still want to pet her?” he asked and tilted his head to the left, much like the Lizalfos that sat on the trail to the Domain.

 

It was downright adorable.

 

Sidon nodded and the smallest grin appeared on his lips. Suddenly, it didn’t seem to be that horrible to be near a horse anymore. Sidon stretched his hand out and when his rough scales touched the soft hairs on Epona, he wanted nothing more than cheering of joy.

 

He had done it! He actually touched a horse! And it was amazing.

 

The coat was shorter than Mahigan’s long strains and it wasn’t nearly as thick. But it was as beautiful as of the Wolf’s. The tips of the hairs tickled the scales on his hand and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing. It was like he was granted some freedom to abandon his fears, Sidon almost forgot how fearlessness felt.

 

The only time he truly had to get over a fear was the day his mother died. He had been afraid of seeing her still face, he wasn’t stupid- he knew what happened to her.

 

 

Sidon had made his first contact with death early on. It wasn’t dramatic or sad, it just... happened. He had been 30 years old, a small child by Zoran standards, barely able to walk on his freshly sprouted legs. It was a sunny day, against the will of his father Sidon played in the court underneath the throne room. How could he not resist when it was forbidden?

It had been too tempting, there were other children his age- being with his father was just so boring; he tended to sneak out of the chambers, running- or rather stumbling- down the stairs to meet up with his friends at the huge fountain which featured a statue of his dear mother.

 

Zoras usually didn’t fight if the conflict became desperate. They were much too proud for doing something so idiotic. But, on that day it happened. And Sidon had the honor of seeing the foolish victim.

 

It had been Evir, the big brother of his good friend, Bazz. He was one of the strongest fighters the Zoras had to offer and his alluring ebony scales had made everyone jealous. Evir was well liked by everyone and a mission outside of the Domain didn’t happen without him.

It should have been an easy mission, eliminating some unruly Lizalfos down at the Bank of Wishes, they were making a ruckus which made travel for Hylians tourists unsafe. They carried foreign goods with them after all and the Zora earned money by trading freshly caught fish with traveling merchants.

 

It was necessary to clear the path leading to Zora’s Domain from the pests, although Sidon didn’t quite understand it. He liked the Lizalfos, he even had played with one once. To be fair, it was an exhausting game of playing catch, but nonetheless, it had been amusing. The lizard, which was as tall as Sidon at the time, which wasn’t tall at all compared to now, even waved goodbye with his tongue when Sidon had to return back to the Domain to meet with his father for dinner.

 

In addition to that- the green sparks the Lizalfos made tickled his skin and Sidon might have been a little too careless with scampering away considering how often he had been hit by the lightning strikes.

 

On this day, however, he learned that those funny little sparks it made were deadly to Zoras. Fatal, in fact. Because Evir was the prime example of what happened to Zoras who stayed near a Lizalfos for longer than necessary.

 

Bazz and Sidon had always played down on the fountain court- more specifically- Hide and go Seek. Sidon always lost because Bazz was way too good at it. Honestly, Sidon had seen from early on that his friend was as good as his brother, maybe even better that that.

 

The rules of their game were simple - the loser had to give the winner a piggyback ride back to the throne room, and due to the fact Sidon always lost, he got to do it every time they played. This time was no exception as well.

 

Sidon had passed the entrance of the Great Zora Bridge with a hollering Bazz on his back who demanded Sidon to hurry it up. Sadly, the Prince couldn’t because his legs were too short. He still hoped they would grow, but a look in the present told him otherwise.

 

At that moment, a loud splashing sound filled the air and it almost caused Sidon to let go his best friend and let him fall down. Luckily he only made a screeching halt, which whipped Bazz’s body forwards and caused his head get to smacked at the base of his head fin. Unfortunately, Bazz's nose got hit, which caused him to yell in pain. The noses of a Zora were extremely sensible and were used for nuzzling, the Zoran equivalent of kissing. 

 

Zoran ears were sensitive as well and the loud shrilling scream of Bazz had made it crystal clear to him. But Sidon didn’t have the time to bother to pay any attention to that. All of his senses had been focused on something else.

 

Seggin, another Zoran warrior stood at the edge of the bridge. His black scales had been soaked with blood, which the smell alone made Sidon almost gag from the wafting stench.

Sidon had never seen spilled blood before, at least not the blood of one of his kin. He once cut himself while slicing up some fish but it never was a huge problem. He was a prince after all and Princes never cried from a mental wound- a little spit, and it would heal itself in a few days.

 

But that wasn’t the worst part. It was the Zora slumped onto Seggin’s back, presumably unconscious from a fatal wound.

 

One quick glance told him everything: It was Evir.

 

Bazz jumped off of Sidon’s back without him even noticing it, he gasped in shock. Evir’s proud body was marred with marks similar to flower petals. Sidon didn’t understand the problem Bazz had at first, it almost looked nice, like the jewelry his mother used to wear.

But then reality dawned on him. It was not marks. It had been multiple injuries. Bloody injuries caused by volleys of lightning bolts. He once had seen some examples in one of his books before. Of course, Sidon knew lightning was bad for their kind, it was one of the first things he got lectured on by Muzu, but on that day it gained a completely new meaning to him.

 

The smell the blood coming from Evir’s beaten corpse was overwhelming, dripping on the bridge’s ground staining the stones a crimson red. It was absolutely sickening to see.

 

Sidon tried to stop Bazz, but he was too exhausted. Bazz had broken his arm free from Sidon’s grip, and his feet had made a squelching sound when he started to run towards his fallen brother.

 

The primal scream that echoed through the Domain was a sound Sidon would never forget for the rest of his life.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Did you have some bad experiences with horses in your past- or rather- why are you so afraid of them?”

 

They sat on the stairs of Link’s house, watching Epona gallop through the meadow in his yard and Mahigan playing with some stray butterfly. It was peaceful and left a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. The evening sun touched the tips of the suspended bridge's pillars, causing elongated shadows to creep across the ground.

 

Sidon sighed. “Well... sort of... there once had been a Lynel that had taken residence up not too far away from Zora’s Domain, as you know… And... we had an unpleasing meeting... to say at least,” he spoke to him, clenching the underside of his eyelids. 

 

Link laughed softly: “Okay, I touched a nerve it seems... I got it- sorry, I’ll drop it,” he apologized with an embarrassed expression that made Sidon want to apologize as well.

 

But he didn’t get round to it, Link already interrupted him before he even could transform his thoughts into words.

 

“Do you wanna eat something? I’m starving over here.”

 

How could Sidon refuse such a nice suggestion?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please someone of you has to draw Sidon and Bazz as children! I would love you until my last days. They would look so cute! Just imagine Sidon giving Bazz a piggyback ride! 
> 
>  
> 
> Some people may think Sidon is out of character in this fic, but I would like to tell you why I chose to write him like this. In the game we witness Sidon in an emergency situation, Vah Ruta is about to burst and they need help. 
> 
> So Sidon tries to get help with being really, really, really friendly. Almost too friendly. At least to friendly for one of my friends, he dislikes Sidon for being like this. But anyways, in this fanfiction, Ganon never happened, the Divine Beasts never appeared and everything is peaceful. I think this had a huge impact on the early life of Sidon and Mipha. 
> 
> I like to think about what could have happened if. And if Ganon never raised, Sidon and Mipha had been raised as normal royal persons. I’m not royal myself, at least not officially, but I think as a royal person you experience a huge amount of stress and pressure.
> 
> And Sidon does, too, at least in this fanfiction. So that’s the reason why I’ve written him like this. I hope it’s understandable! :)


	9. Neuntes Kapitel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are things in Hyrule Sidon had never seen before. One of them happens to be in front of Link's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Finally, I have summer break, so I hope this story will be updated more frequently. I wanted to post this chapter sooner, but this week had been super shitty for me and I had a lot to deal with. But I hope it doesn't affect the chapter in terms of quality. Plus, Overwatch basically consumed me and I don't know how this will affect this story, maybe I will be more busy with writing fluff about a Japanese archer and a wild-west cowboy.
> 
> I think about making a site on my blog dedicated to this story where I post every headcanon and facts which are different from the games, such as character ages, the swimming path of Sidon and stuff like this. Please let me know if you're interested!
> 
> See you!

Link’s house was… small. At least it looked like that when Sidon walked down the moss-covered front stairs. The surface of the grey stones was smooth, and Sidon noticed that they were really unevenly placed after a few culms had tickled the scales under his feet.They looked loved in a strange way, it didn’t matter that they had been built by someone really unmotivated and the owner of the house had used them very often. Somehow, they fitted the charm of the house.

 

The tree’s thick foliage he was facing while he followed Link down to the front door touched the scarlet roof tiles and every time a light breeze ruffled through the leafs it made an odd but welcoming sound. The shadow it created on the grass covered ground also lied on a cooking pot which seemed to be well-used considering the black cracklings which laid on the ground beside it.

  
“Link, may I ask you something?”, Sidon . Link turned around before he laid his hand on the door knob.

“Sure, what’s it?”

Sidon pointed at the cooking device: “Do you use that often?” His voice was light, excited and exuding wonder for all those foreign things Sidon’s race didn’t use.

  
Zoras lived different from Hylians, Sidon hadn’t been so aware of it until now. Of course, he had witnessed it back when he visited Queen Zelda with his sister, but seeing a normal house, built and inhabited by normal Hylians, filled him with excitement.

As a Prince, he was used to only the very best. His room was supplied only with the best furniture. It even had a fancy tub facing the windows, which made the left eye of the huge fish that crowned the throne room, overlooking the Great Zora Bridge. It was a place way bigger than it needed to, to be honest, Sidon didn’t even use half of it. The floor was flagged with the same blue tiles used in the Domain, although it was made with white and blue stones, forming a stunning mosaic and gave out a cool feeling the Prince enjoyed, especially at hot summer days.

The rest of it was made out of silver and mosaic, being far more expensive than Sidon would like to have it.

He never asked to get the best of the best. He wanted to understand the people he would have to rule over after Mipha would quit. In order to understand, he thought he needed to experience their life as close as possible, but he had been afraid of his father’s reaction so he had given up on that idea long ago.

  
Link eyes followed the stretched out arm of the Zora and smiled when he recognised what Sidon meant. “Oh, yes, that’s my cooking pot.”

Sidon frowned. Didn’t Hylians have something like a kitchen, or whatever it was called? Sidon hadn’t had enough time to read everything about Hylian culture, it was still difficult for him to understand every single custom of the folk living in Central Hyrule.

 

The door made a creaking sound as if it would break any moment, and fall off its hinges while Link continued to talk about his cooking pot and the frustrations of having to cook outside sometimes. Sidon noted the unruly pattern of the wooden slats, which were kept together by two black iron bars. It made him smile. Somehow it fitted Link, it was a harsh contrast to his usual serious manner, unbreakable by anything or anyone, but this door revealed his vulnerable sides, that Sidon had been able to witness with his own eyes.

The door knob was hackneyed and the Prince wondered if Link invited many people to his home. Maybe Link was popular amongst the villagers? He was a Knight, after all, and there was nothing more honourable.

Sidon had to duck his head before he entered the house after Link, who was kind enough to hold the door open for him, the gentleman he was.

“Watch the door, the house is old,” Link said while he entered the large and only room of the house.Sidon looked around in awe.

a huge Zora standing in a Hylian house looking around like he had found the Triforce surely made for a ridiculous sight. The space enthralled him, even though, in all honesty, it wasn’t really that big. and Sidon had to admit he was rather bad at estimating.

It made him remember the one time he offered to help the guards move their weapons into the new armoury, for the old one had been flooded due to a heavy rainfall. He had carried the spears horizontally, which led to him getting stuck in the doorframe, stressing out Bazz to the point he got him banished from the room and its immediate vicinity.

 

Ever since then, Sidon always felt belittled every time he had to take the circular stairs down to avoid the armoury, carefully guarded by Rivan and Gaddison. He did so due to the fact that the two guards had made their displeasure of his presence near their precious weaponry quite noticeable. Sure, it was a logical reaction, but Sidon still felt as if they didn’t respect him like they didn’t acknowledge him as the Prince he was. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they used to play together when they were younger, but now they were soldiers under his charge and he deserved to be respected like his sister was.

 

The calm voice of Link echoed through the room, bringing Sidon back to the present. the Hylian had stepped to the table in the middle of the room and had pulled one of the two chairs back, inviting Sidon to take a seat. Sidon smiled politely at the waiting Hylian while he sat down. When Sidon’s back touched the backrest he recognised the giant height difference between him and Link once more. His knees touched the underside of the table’s plate before Sidon had even made the attempt to shove them under it. The seating surface was far too small for Sidon to sit on it and he would have loved nothing more than standing up and take a seat on the floor.

But that would have been rude.

Link had already left the table, and a quick look told Sidon that he had opened a cupboard to the Prince’s right. He seemed to be very busy and Sidon decided not to ask him further questions about his house, although there were a lot.

Instead, he determined to inspect the table in front of him: It was made out of wood, like everything else in the house Sidon had seen so far and was filled up with a variety of things.

 

  
The crockery placed on the table was white and blue, as well as a vase that displayed a yellow and a pink flower. It was oddly pretty for someone as rough as Link.

 

  
Sidon’s eyes left the table top and met the walls instead. Sidon didn’t know the name of the material which had been used to build this house. It had a shade of brown, making the room a little bit dark, much to the Prince’s displeasure. The only interesting things located on the walls of the house were the weapon racks, which showed off various shields, spears and much to his delight, bows. Sidon’s eyes caught the rightmost bow, which shimmered in the dim light of the oddly shaped lamp at the ceiling above him.

It was different from the bows he used himself. The Silver Bow he used was more delicate, made for fast movements. The one on the wall had a strange shape, almost like someone or something ripped out several pieces out of it. Sidon recognised one material, which happened to be wood, at the edges of the libs. The material around the grip was black and had strange orange dots on it, which gleamed in an unsettling manner.

 

  
With a frown, the Zora decided to ask Link about it later. At that moment, he realized he had been too busy inspecting Link’s house to pay attention to him. How could he be so rude! Embarrassed, Sidon decided not to comment his behaviour, rather looking at Link, who had turned his back to him.

“My stove broke a few weeks ago,” he was saying, pouring ingredients here and there, “I had to get that rusty thing out of the stairs and now I spend every weekend praying for good weather.” His eyes sparkled when he turned around to Sidon: “Would it be a problem for you to eat vegetarian today?”

Vegetarian? Sidon knew he had heard the word before, but he didn’t know its meaning. His confused face must have been enough for the Knight to understand the troubles of the royal.

“Vegetarian meals are meals without meat.”

Now Sidon felt stupid. How could he not remember the meaning of this easy term? It was a widely spread variation of eating among Hylians and as it was stated by multiple Zoras Sidon had talked to, Zelda herself was also a Vegetarian.

“Are you a vegetarian, Link?”

Link gently shook his head and locked eyes with Sidon while he sorted some foul wheat out of the bundle he had dragged out of the cupboard seconds ago: “No, not really. The Queen herself is, so I started to pay attention to what I eat,” he answered gently. Sidon could understand that, after all, he would die without eating fish at least once a week.

 

When Link started explaining how to prepare the different goods, Sidon felt like a normal being. Ever since he was born, people acted differently around him. He was royal after all, but he longed for a normal life and Link, right there, was making him feel like he could get it. Link had never acted differently around him, he would have killed Sidon if he had tried to get information about Zelda. Prince or not.

And as strange as it sounded, Sidon liked it.

So Hylians needed to make food smaller if they wanted to eat it. Sidon’s eyes followed the movements of Link’s hand while he showed him how to cut the pumpkin properly. He was really fast and the Zora was sure he would need twice the time for a slice Link cutted in seconds.

After Link left him alone, Sidon stared at the knife in front of him for a few seconds, before he took it into his hand and started with preparing the vegetables. It would take hours, Sidon was sure.

  
And so time passed by, Link being busy with making proper fire with the help of Mahigan, which brought him all kinds of sticks to get the poorly gleaming ashes burning before the cooking pot was hot enough to actually use it.

Meanwhile, Sidon was busy with whittling and preparing the ingredients. He was so concentrated he didn’t recognise his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It was a habit he had since his early childhood. Every time he did something mentally exhausting his tongue set up on its own. It was a cause of amusement for Mipha and Sidon would have lied if he would have said he hadn’t been embarrassed at first. But when he got older he started liking the cute chuckles of his sister when his tongue did its own thing.

Maybe Link did it, too?

  
Sidon was so busy with cutting the pumpkin he didn’t notice Link, who had entered the house again. After a few seconds, Link cleared his throat. Sidon looked up, his eyes met those of the other man.

“Are you ready?” Link asked and pointed at the chopped pumpkin pieces. They were… different from the ones Link made. Sidon’s had all kinds of different shapes, sizes and overall, they looked more like an accident than anything else.

Sidon nodded proudly, after all, it was his first time helping in the kitchen: “Sure I am!”

Link couldn’t refrain the small chuckle before he grabbed the bowl with the pumpkin pieces and the milk, together with the wheat.

“Come on, I’m hungry,” he said, walking towards the door. Sidon opened the door for him, so he could pass with his stuffed arms.

  
The evening air was tepid and Sidon savoured the breezes which gently stroke the underside of his head fin. It may be around 8 pm, the sun already touched the peaks of the mountains behind Hateno Village and bathed them in twilight.

As much as Sidon enjoyed the view, Link knew it too well. He was used to sit outside of his house, enjoying the view together with Epona, and Mahigan. Sometimes they could even see t-

Oh wait, that was not a bad idea. Link smirked when he took a look towards Sidon.

“Okay, step aside!” Link demanded while he walked in the direction of the cooking pot, which happened to be sieged by Mahigan trying to get one of the sticks lying near to the fire. “Could you do me a favour and keep him busy for a while? Just throw the stick into the opposite direction”, the Hylian asked while he tipped the pumpkin pieces into the metallic basin.

Sidon made an agreeing sound and bent down next to the wolf. The moment Sidon stretched out his hand, the animal growled. They would be best friends, Link was sure about that. With a gentle nudge, he rebuked the huge animal.

  
The excited noises of Mahigan and Sidon echoed over the bubbling of the soup. Link glanced in the direction of his pet and the other man. He chuckled after he recognised the scene in front of him. A laughing Sidon, holding one end of the stick and a grunting Mahigan biting the other, shaking his head in every possible direction, making it impossible for the Prince to get it back anytime soon.

“Come on, spit it out, you stubborn wolf!” The voice of Sidon was filled with sympathy for his comrade, which wasn't going to let 'his' stick go anytime soon. Epona, which stood in the background, watched the scene too. If she could have laughed, she would have, Link was pretty sure.

In the end, Mahigan won and his wagging tail told everyone that he was more than happy, while he ran away from Sidon. Wise decision Sidon was probably stronger than Link and it wouldn't come as a surprise that he was able to tear the animal apart if he wanted to.

Link followed them with his eyes, noticing the tiny legs of the Zora, which made him look a little bit ridiculous. Link caught himself smiling, the scene was funny and Link had almost never the opportunity to feel that way.

Every time there was only blood, violence and other things that haunted the sleep of the knight, making him wake up covered in sweat, breathing heavily. It was a hard job he had, and sometimes he wished he had never touched the s-

"Are you done cooking?" Sidon's curious voice tore Link out of his thoughts. He turned around and was greeted by a unique view. Mahigan sat to Sidon's feet, staring in Link's direction, his tail wagging wild to and fro just like the head fin of the tall Zora., slapping against his shoulder blades and making him look cute.

Link was amused by the similarities shared by his wolf and the Prince of the Zoras.

"Yes, almost, could you get two bowls and spoons from the cupboard on the left side?”

Sidon nodded enthusiastically and went in the direction to the house. Link took the opportunity of temporary loneliness to throw a carrot at Epona, who snorted excitedly and trotted after it.

The clattering of porcelain found its way to Link’s ears, making him turn around after he had filled the ladle he had brought with him with some soup. Sidon’s fin still wagged furiously and Link could see the eyes of his wolf following the movement of it with a little too much interest. Link gave him a glare and the wolf decided to watch in another direction. It was the best for him.

It seemed like Sidon would begin jumping up and down every second the moment Link filled his bowl with soup. It was just soup. Normal soup. There was nothing to be excited about.

 

Sidon was strange.

 

But Link couldn’t deny it, the smile on Sidon’s face strengthened his confidence in his cooking skills. Sidon was probably used to the best-cooked meals and Link cooked for nothing more than the basics. In the beginning, his cooking skills had been horrible and after a series of burnt dishes, Link had determined that he needed a cook book.

He had bought one in Hyrule Castle Town before he had met a girl in Hateno, who had trusted him with her secret recipe. First, Link had been full of doubts, the girl was seven at most and kids that age wasn’t able to cook. At least, he and his friends hadn’t been able to.

But after a few weeks and a yawning void in his cupboard, he had decided to try the recipe. He only had the ingredients for it at that point and his stomach had hurt like he had swallowed arrowheads.

  
And what could he say, it became his favourite meal. The pumpkin mixed fantastic with the milk, the goat butter and the wheat topping it all. Link could have eaten it every day and he had thanked the girl with making her an amazing apple pie.

Hopefully, Zora liked pumpkins. Judging by the pleased expression in Sidon’s face, Link was sure he was eager to find it out. After Link had filled some of the soup into his bowl, too and blown out the fire under the rusty pot he took one of the spoons the Zora held in his hands and led the exciting Zora towards the spot they had seat early at.

Sidon’s tail still wagged like mad when they sat down and it seemed like his whole body did, too, from the way his shoulders moved. Did it mean he was happy? It was a behaviour dogs were mainly known for and it confused Link more than it should.

He had to ask Impa about that, next week.

 

“I hope you’re comfortable sitting outside, I wanted to show you something;” Link explained. The Prince was used to eat at a table, after all. Zelda did it every time. But Sidon was different from Zelda, so much that Link wouldn’t be surprised if he could eat while hanging head down from a tree.

Nevertheless, Royals needed to be treated with respect, even when they didn’t act like it at all.

“What do you want to show me?” Sidon demanded to know, while he took another spoon of the amazing tasting soup. Link was talented like hell, Sidon didn’t even bother the absence of his loved fish, the dish tasted amazing, so much that Sidon wished he could visit Link every weekend, just to eat the amazing dishes he cooked.

The Knight, who sat to his right, petted Mahigan, who laid beside them.   
“Just wait a little bit, it’s almost time,” he answered and gave Sidon a little smile  
To Link’s surprise, Sidon didn’t start arguing. To be honest, he had thought Sidon would be more stubborn, but little he knew that Sidon had a hard time holding back a torrent of questions. His father was utterly annoyed by this behaviour, so Sidon had learnt not to incur in it.

 

Link’s nudge underneath his gills brought Sidon’s attention back to the Hylian, who had stretched out his arm and pointed at the peaks of the hills behind Hateno Village. Sidon followed the direction of his arm and noticed a creature, longer than the Zora River, floating around the peaks

Sidon gasped. He had never believed in such a kind of thing, he never had seen it by himself after all.

There were a lot of unexplainable things in Hyrule, but dragons had always belonged to the realms of myths, at least for the Zora Prince.

It was blue, and a strange glowing originated from the dragon’s body. It had six legs, which emphasized from the pitch black sky behind it. The horns on its head glowed like the air around it and Sidon couldn’t do anything but open his mouth in awe.

He had never seen a being so beautiful.

After a few minutes following each movement of the majestic animal roaming over the mountains, Sidon dared to cast a glance at Link, who kept his eyes on the dragon as well.

“Is it really a dragon?”

Link nodded while he stretched his arms, the bowl laid still in his lap shaking dangerously, almost like it could fall over any second.

“Yes, it is called Naydra. It’s said that the spirit of the Goddess of Wisdom is materialized in the dragon’s body. But it only appears on Sundays, I don’t know why, to be honest.”

 

Sidon nodded. There was so much in Hyrule he didn’t know, so much he hadn’t seen in his short life and he was excited to learn, to see. Maybe even together with Link, who knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to try making the chapters more eventful. I'm not happy how boring this story is to this point.   
> As always, you can visit me on my [tumblr](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/), I would love to get to know some of you! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I've got [tumblr](http://kyoki-tana.tumblr.com/) , where you can find further information about this story and other things I write. Plus I love to get to know you, I know not enough of you!


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